I Read It In A Book
by HorrificallyDreadful
Summary: Pushed aside for the sake of his siblings, Naruto gains knowledge of this mad world through literature. For a child still learning of life's struggles, that can be a damaging thing. The world is quick to call a babbling man insane when he is more likely the genius of his own words. A fool with a kunai is no match for a genius with a pebble.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Welcome readers to my first fanfiction story… well on this account. My previous account is for some reason inaccessible to me so I can no longer post on it. Regardless, view me as a new writer and please enjoy my first story. Before we begin, there are a few things you should know going in:**

There is no Uchiha massacre\- I've decided to opt out of it as I feel it is too commonly used, with good reason.

Sort of a neglect fic- As you read, you'll understand. It's just not your ordinary hate filled story. You'll get it.

Pairing undecided- I have yet to even decide if Naruto is going to be paired with anyone yet soo… yeah… and I don't do polls.

No Yaoi\- I refuse to do it. Don't like it one bit.

No incest\- No… just no… get help.

Alive Minato/Kushina- They're alive. Can't have a "sort of" neglect fic otherwise.

Older Naruto\- He's older… the ages are explained, just follow along.

Chapter length- I'd like feedback on what you guys think. I can do longer chapters (Such as this one) or I could do shorter but more frequent, review and let me know

No Akatsuki… kinda- There is no Akatsuki, you'll understand the "kinda" later.

Naruto's quoting- Naruto enjoys books in this fic. He commonly quotes things from the books. Everything he quotes is of my own creation. If I for whatever reason use a quote from somewhere else, I will mention it in future Author's Notes.

* * *

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 1**

The village hidden in the leaves fell silent in the aftermath of its near destruction. Capable shinobi of all ranks worked diligently to put out the remaining flames and rush survivors to the hospital for treatment. Everyone working in silence, too shaken up to speak about the horror they had just witnessed. Too traumatized to even process what had actually happened.  
The Kyubi.

The strongest of the nine Biju. The beast had appeared so suddenly. There was no time to prepare an adequate defense against such a threat. The monster tore through the village with ease. The shinobi did their best to save as many lives as possible, but their task seemed pointless as the Kyubi killed faster than they could save.  
The massacre was only stopped when Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage, used his famed Hiraishin to teleport himself and the beast outside of the village. It was there that he and his wife, Kushina Namikaze, were able to subdue the monster long enough for them to come to the decision of sealing the beast into their newborn children Mito and Menma.

They both settled their resolve and were fully intent on giving their lives with the remaining chakra they had left to seal the monster away, but after a heartfelt speech from Minato's predecessor Hiruzen Sarutobi, they allowed him to perform the jutsu giving his own life in return. They prayed he found his peace in the afterlife.

* * *

Now, hours later, Minato waited outside of his wife's hospital room with his daughter in his hands. Looking down at the bundle, he grinned sadly at the red tufts of hair on her small head, imagining what she would look like in the future. Much like his wife, he presumed. "Little Mito…" he whispered gently.  
To his right, Tsunade Senju's apprentice, Shizune cradled the other bundle. The child within sporting tufts of blonde as bright as his own. Each of them marred with three whisker like marks on their cheeks much like his first child, his four year old son Naruto whom was currently on his way from one of the civilian shelters.

He was broken from his thoughts when the door creaked open. Tsunade walked out with an unreadable expression. Minato stood to his feet, fearing the worst. He pulled Mito closer to his chest as if to shield her from the news until he himself knew it first.

"Tsunade-sama." He said urgently. "i-Is she… Is she alright?"

Calming him down, she took Mito from his arms. "Yes, she's fine. She'll need a few more days to recover than a normal pregnancy of course, but she is fine."

Immediately, Minato smiled and squeezed her shoulder gently as he passed, offering a quick 'thank you' before rushing into his wife's room.

Kushina was awake and staring at the ceiling. When she saw Minato, she nearly jumped up, inciting a squeak of pain in place of her planned stream of questions. Minato quickly rushed to her side gently pushing her back down to her back whilst whispering 'everything's fine' over and over to calm her worries. Ignoring her pain, she called out hollowly, "My babies" asking for her children.

Tsunade and Shizune strolled in rocking the two bundles all the way to their mother's bed side. They each placed the two into her waiting arms as she somehow had the strength to carry them both. Minato stood to her side, smiling at his children along with his wife. Tsunade and Shizune both smiled at the scene playing out before them, a picture perfect family.

* * *

Walking through the halls of the hospital, the four year old Naruto clutched his stuffed bear to his chest. The ANBU behind him had a hand on his back gently guiding him to his mother and father. He was quite worried as the last time he was in this place, his father's former student Obito Uchiha died. That's all he really knew about hospitals, people die inside. So, if his mom and dad were here, then that meant, someone was dead. His small sandals tapped loudly against the floor directly opposing the hollow silence around. He couldn't even hear the ANBU behind him.

On the way, they stopped abruptly hearing the sound of laughter in the room to the right. "This way, young Namikaze." The ANBU directed, opening the door. Naruto looked up at him before walking in. He saw the room was filled to the brim with people he knew. There was Kakashi and Jiraiya leaning on the window ceil, Tsunade and Shizune standing at the foot of the bed, and his mother and father at the head of the bed cradling two bundles. He walked in but wasn't noticed. Not until the ANBU shut the door.

"Naru-kun." Kushina said weakly trying her hardest to sit up a little more. Naruto walked over to her bedside allowing his father to pick him up.

Adjusting his grip on his son, Minato leaned him over the bed a little more. "Meet your new baby siblings."

Naruto looked down at the two babies that shared his whisker marks in wonder. His hands rested timidly at his sides not wanting to hurt them. He looked at their hair colors in wonder, specifically Mito's. "She looks just like you Kaa-san." He said inciting a round of laughter and 'awws' from the room. He looked around wondering what he did until Kushina brought his attention back.

"That's right… she does." She smiled up at her oldest with tears brimming the bottom of her eye lids. "That's Mito."  
His gaze then shifted over to his little brother. "And he looks like…" he paused in thought.

"You." Said Minato filling in the word for his son who looked him in the eye. "He looks just like you." Naruto looked back down at him in amusement. A small smile tugging on the edge of his lips.

"Yeah… he looks like me." He whispered quieter. Amazed by the similarities. Everyone around them looked at the family now in completion. Smiles on their faces as they imagined the things they would accomplish in time. Saving this moment in their minds for as long as they could.

* * *

-5 years later-

Things were different now. No longer was the family as complete as they had hoped at one point. Not that they noticed. Everything was about Mito and Menma. Every day, no matter what day it was. It was like their birthday. The villagers showered them in love and endearment for their noble sacrifice. They were worshipped and praised and now adorned the titles of the Prince and Princess of Konoha. Kushina and Minato were no different in their treatment of them. Whatever they wanted they got. Which is why their training began earlier than planned.

Oh yes, planned. They've had a scheduled plan for training for both of them, everyone who specialized in a field of study had agreed to assist. The two were to begin their training as soon as they got out of the academy. They'd be placed on a team with whomever was the rookie of the year, if it wasn't one of them, and given to Kakashi. He would train them in chakra control and Ninjutsu. When time permitted, they'd go to Kurenai Yuhi to learn Genjutsu, Might Gai for help with Taijutsu, and they'd go to their mother for Kenjutsu training. They'd be trained in Fuinjutsu by Minato personally. When they were ready, they'd learn Minato's Rasengan and Hiraishin and Kushina's chakra chains. After that, they'd undergo the tutelage of Jiraiya and Tsunade, whomever they decided.

This was all to take place after their graduation from the academy, but after a few good hours of pleading their case with the help of their undeniable puppy dog eyes, Minato caved and they started early, two years ago actually. Consequently the assistants were no longer able to uphold the plan as they had matters to attend at the time. So, they decided to handle it themselves.

That was all for the two youngest Namikaze children. As for the oldest, well it couldn't be called neglect exactly, but he wasn't much a part of the family training or any other activity they underwent. The last time he could remember doing anything with them was when he entered into the academy and his family _had_ to attend as his father gave the opening speech for each new class. That was the last time he could remember any amount of attention on himself. The last time he had smiled sincerely.  
That day, it was as if his parents just assumed the academy would eat up most of his time. As if he was no longer in need of their assistance in any matter. He would have been upset had he not found a passion for reading. It was a simple pleasure that brought him peace in times of self-loathing. When he felt like he wasn't good enough to be in the family he was in. Or when he felt it would be better for them if he was no longer around. He'd read a book. Anything with words would interest him. He'd read anything that he could find, fiction, non-fiction, ninja scrolls, bingo books, history books, everything. It was an escape from the material world for him. He's lived a thousand lives within his young mind, he's loved and hated and understood the meaning of both in various ways.

In his readings, he's learned many things. He's learned various jutsu and techniques suitable for his level of understanding. His reading brought him to his own self-made taijutsu which he has not named. After reading a book based on the various clans within Konoha, he found interest in the countless taijutsu customs of two of the greatest, the Uchiha and the Hyuga. The Uchiha's style consisted of blocking and countering an enemies attacks. The Hyuga's famous gentle fist revolved around the use of their doujutsu the Byakugan to see the tenketsu of their oponents, using chakra to block them. Reading that got him interested in taijutsu altogether. What brought him to his own style was after he read through a medical book that he had, at one point, heard Tsunade call a "doctor's bible". He learned of various pressure points on the human form that could shut a person's body down with a few quick hits. Using that knowledge and the theory of the Uchiha and Hyuga fighting styles, he waited for a chance.

Every day after the academy, he'd go to the training grounds and wait for this Uchiha kid to come train with his father, Shisui he believed. Then, he'd go to the Hyuga compound and stand on the building across the street watching, from a distance, the branch family running through their daily training routines. After trying whatever he saw, he was able to somewhat duplicate both of the styles, sloppily of course but his taijutsu style was unorthodox and was supposed to look chaotic.

Naruto's entry into the academy is what made his younger siblings want to begin their training early. Of course caving, Minato decided it best he assist in their training personally and took a leave from office, placing his trusted friend and advisor Shikaku Nara in control of all matters not involving foreign threats while he worked diligently on training his children. He was in charge of everything including matters of the academy, domestic complaints, ninja ranking, and even ANBU missions. Minato had expressed he did not want to be bothered unless one of the other villages randomly sent a message declaring war. True to his claim, the Namikaze family essentially entered the seclusion of their own compound. The training schedule was so tight knit it left absolutely no room for anything. Not even the esteemed Ichiraku's ramen they were all so fond of. The Namikaze family wouldn't be seen for a long while.

In the academy, a test is given to the first year students to see who of the bunch is suitable enough for an early promotion. The test is administered two weeks after the start of the academy and the results are sent directly to the Hokage for his decision. The written test covers topics taught in the third year and even a few questions designed to see how they work under pressure. Questions they couldn't possibly begin to understand. Not since Kakashi Hatake has there been a student able to jump to the third year. Two years ago there were two, Naruto Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha. The two young geniuses were placed in the same third year class under the watchful eye of the very confused Iruka Imuno. Confused as the two nine year olds excelled at everything he put in front of them. Half way through the year, he went to Shikaku requesting they be given the test early.

Shikaku at first was surprised but accepted regardless. The two took the test designed to weed out the weak links and passed flawlessly. Shikaku was of course impressed and even thought of congratulating the fourth on such a prodigal son, but could never find the time. He placed the two on a standby support team as he still feared they were too young to do actual missions. They were under the guidance of a former ANBU agent named Kaijo. He trained the two as he had once trained his fellow agents, pushing them to their limits each day as they awaited a mission.

After the first week, he witnessed their talent in the arts and requested they become an active assault team instead of support, but Shikaku refused as he was still timid about putting the two on the field so early, they were only nine.

Wanting a second opinion, he went to the Namikaze compound in search of Minato. He caught them in the middle of training, it must have been a frustrating evening as Minato seemed quite stressed. Seeing Shikaku, he immediately asked if another nation was attacking. Shikaku said that wasn't the case which seemed to tick him off more as he angrily barked out tips to his children as they engaged in a taijutsu match. Shikaku was no longer able to get a word out as Minato turned to him calming down a bit, "Look, whatever it is then, just handle it please. As you can see this really isn't a good time." Before he could argue, Minato already left his side.

Now, with the decision left to him, he decided to trust his gut and keep the team just a support team for the time being. A few days later, a seasoned Genin team requested back up while on a C rank mission that apparently turned B due to an attack from a few low ranking rogue ninja. Figuring it would be an opportunity to test their skills in the field, Shikaku sent Naruto's team. With Kaijo, he figured they'd be able to handle it.

When they returned, he was shocked by the report. Naruto and Itachi seemed to have been the biggest hitters among the group as the two took down an A-rank rogue on their own after being separated from the others. In a joint effort, the two worked the man down until they were able to get a killing blow on the man. Their first kill. After consoling from his mother and father, Itachi was fine the next day. Naruto on the other hand had to deal with it on his own, but he handled it none the less thanks to his books. At that point, the two nine year olds of team Kaijo became true ninja.

Their training surpassed even their own expectations. Itachi leaped through every technique within his father's study learning old Taijutsu techniques, every fire based Ninjutsu, and a few techniques left behind by the clan founder Madara Uchiha. He became one of the best Uchiha and he was only nine. Naruto too fished through his old man's stash and read up on techniques. He learned everything written on the pages in his father's study. Every fuinjutsu note, every taijutsu technique, every Ninjutsu theory, even his father's main techniques Rasengan and Hiraishin. All of those techniques were now within his back pocket.

After two more successful support missions and a heap of backing from the other sensei's, Team Kaijo became a full fledge assault team. They worked diligently for a year racking up mission after mission, not a single failure to their record. In some of their more strange missions, they even saved princesses and killed tyrants. All in all, throughout the nations, they made a name for themselves. Word was passed around the Uchiha clan of Itachi's success within a year and he was praised throughout the village. Naruto however flew under the radar. No one really praised him inside the village. There were a few minor villages that held him in high regards though, so he didn't mind. From the way Itachi despised it, he figured he wouldn't enjoy it much anyways.

Now, ten years old, Naruto had decided to move out of his parent's home as he felt bad he was taking up space and using their utilities without helping pay. He had found a small apartment in the crummy side of Konoha that he could afford, but figured he wouldn't be there often anyways.

He and Itachi became the best of friends over the years. They did everything together. Naruto would even help him train Sasuke every now and then. They both excelled because of the other. Neither of them were willing to be outdone by the other so they pushed harder and harder trying to gain the upper hand. A healthy rivalry built on friendship. They fought constantly whenever they had the chance. Always testing the others skill to gauge their own progress. Their greatest match was later on that year during the chunin exams held in Kumo. They faced each other in the final round and fought each other to a standstill.

The battle was the most magnificent spectacle the non-shinobi viewers had ever seen. The battle of the Uchiha prodigy and the son of the Yellow Flash was a sight to see. They held nothing back and attacked each other with the intent to kill, as they knew the other expected nothing less. It was there which Naruto brought to light his father's technique, Hiraishin for the first time, as well as a technique of his own creation. The perfect clone as he called it. It was a clone that, with the help of fuinjutsu, was actually brought to life. While in a tough spot, he used the technique away from Itachi's view and sent the clone out to fight in his stead as he thought up a strategy. The only issue with the technique is that, much like water clones, it only holds a portion of the originals ability. It is also aware it's a clone so it has no adrenaline when in danger.

Itachi had no idea as it even fooled his fully matured Sharingan. So, he continued to fight with the same intensity he had been and unleashed a technique he intended to use as a distraction. Although a powerful attack with the main purpose of killing, he was sure Naruto would find his way out, but to his horror, he did not. All he saw was his best friends body hit the ground burnt to a crisp. His heart sank as the entire stadium fell silent believing the match to be over. The proctor dropping down to the arena to check on the body made it that much more real.

He looked up to the Kage box which held only the Raikage and Kazekage and gave a shake of the head. Everyone knew the implication of such a gesture and remained silent.  
Itachi's eyes burned as his heart sank. He dropped to his knees staring at the ground wondering what he had just done. He was praying to whatever god was up there that it wasn't real. His mind didn't register how much clearer the world seemed to him or the fact that his eyes were still burning. He just couldn't think. He was brought back to reality with the popping of a clone. Looking up, he saw the proctor looking down at the spot Naruto's body had been in wonder. Itachi felt the ground beneath him rumble. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding the hands that popped out trying to clamp down on his ankles. The proctor jumped back up seeing the match was not yet over. The crowd went wild seeing the Namikaze was still alive.

It was truly the greatest match in the history of the Chunin Exams. Two boys, no older than the second year students at the academy, displayed abilities on par with that of legends. The fact that they were both from Konoha stirred up a heap of commotion among the other nations. If Konoha was breeding monsters such as these, they questioned any sort of attack against them would be beneficial.

When they returned to the village, the two boys were immediately granted the rank of Chunin and shortly after were approached by the ANBU captain, Kenji Horo. Captain Horo explained his interest in them joining his force even at their ripe age of 11. He went on to describe the training they would receive in stealth which is one thing they lacked.

They'd have to pass the Jonin exam first which they would not be eligible to take for the next two months, but they accepted never the less. Of course, in normal circumstances, rank didn't matter much when making the selection, but Captain Horo figured Shikaku would be more inclined to accept the request if the two were able to prove they were on par with the higher ups of the village.

When they achieved the rank of Jonin with ease, Captain Horo brought the matter to Shikaku Nara who was still a bit timid to allow it, but Itachi and Naruto expressed their want for such an opportunity, so he allowed it on the parameters that they were not able to take on solo missions until they turned twelve. Horo agreed and they were admitted for the ANBU exams.

Three weeks later, they were members of the prestigious ANBU black ops. They were placed on a team with two other agents, Yugao Uzuki, and Hayate Gekko, the captain. Through them, they learned Kenjutsu and Naruto of course found a way to perfect the style shown to him thanks to a Samurai book he had once read. Their team underwent multiple ANBU missions involving various instructions. The two eleven year olds were thrusted into a world of bloodshed and hatred. And only one of them had the support needed to handle such a life.

* * *

-Two months later-

It's been a month since Naruto Namikaze's twelfth birthday, not that anyone aside for his teammates knew that. He got a few things from each of them, a new jacket from Yugao, an all-black sword from Hayate, and a new book from Itachi. And he even got a cake and congratulations from the Uchiha clan as a whole which he was very grateful for. Since that day, he has been undergoing solo missions like a mad man. He took two every week the first month and even went for three if his time allowed it. With the pay he received, he upgraded to a nicer apartment in the wealthier side of Konoha. It was a fully furnished Condo fit with everything he needed. Two bedrooms, a bathroom with actual hot water! His old place didn't have that so that was a big plus. Then, there was his study. It was like a mini library with books stacked from the floor to the ceiling with barely enough room to walk.

He was dressed in his street clothes which consisted of a plain black t-shirt, black baggy ANBU style pants, black ninja sandals and black wrap around his mid-calf. Over that, he wore the hoodless white jacket Yugao had gotten him with the Namikaze symbol proudly displayed on his back and he left the front unzipped. The jacket went down to the bottom of his back and was long sleeved. (Like young Minato's) His headband hung loosely around his neck.

Walking to his mirror, he looked at himself, his hair was as shaggy as it usually is except for the right side of his head which was shaven down for some reason. A while back in training, he narrowly dodged one of Itachi's kunai, but it nicked the side of his head deep enough for him to need stiches. His hair just never fully grew back, because of it, it looked as if it slouched over towards the left. His face had shed itself of its rounded shape and instead resembled his father more than ever. His eyes had heavy bags beneath them as it had been a few days since he had last slept. With a yawn, he stepped out of his bathroom and headed for the front door, ready to start the day.

* * *

Red hair strewn across her bed, drool slipping out the side of her face and a screeching sound from her nightstand. Mito's eyes creaked open slowly. Her bright blue eyes wincing at the sun in her face. "Urgh" she groaned sitting up in her bed stretching out her sore body. Today was going to be great. She just knew it. This was the first birthday they were going to be celebrating since they started training. Before, there was just no time for it. The most they got was one gift each year from their parents. Today would be different.

Her door swung open with her brother charging in. "Mito!" he yelled. "Hurry up and get up! Kaa-san said come down stairs!"

She rolled her eyes throwing a pillow at him for being so loud. "I'm up you idiot!" Menma snatched it out of the air and threw it back.

"Looks like you're laying down you dummy." He said jogging out and down the hall. Mito just shook her head as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes still trying to find her bearings. When she finally did, she rolled out of bed and headed downstairs.

Rounding the corner from the living room, she was greeted to the expected big breakfast with the entire family in attendance. By entire family she meant her, Menma, Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, and Kakashi. Everyone else was at the long table already serving themselves, there was a space to Menma's right reserved for her. Taking her seat she was greeted by everyone when their individual conversations allowed it.

"Morning Mito-chan!" Kushina said happily. "Happy birthday!" she said passing her a plate.

Mito gave her a quick thank you as she took it and filled it with various breakfast goodies that were prepared on the table.

"So, how's it feel?" Minato asked taking a sip of his juice. "Ya know, being eight years old at last?" Mito gave him a bashful smile shrugging her shoulder in reply.

"Well to me it feels great!" Menma said. "I finally get to go to the academy!" he said excitement pouring from his mouth in the form of his noodles.

"Yeah you say that now." Kakashi informed him. "I was only there for a year but man was it a lot of homework."

"Yup, lots and lots of books and studying. Something you haven't been too great at as of now soo…" said Jiraiya.

"Oh, you shut up Baka Ero-sennin." Menma replied in haste.

"He is right ya' know." Kushina added. "Ninja studies probably should've been added to the list when planning. There's still another year. Maybe we can fit that in." She said.

"Yeah maybe. Then they'd have had a chance at the advanced placement test. They're already miles ahead in everything else." Kakashi said peaking their interest.

"The advanced placement test?" Mito asked.

"Ah, yeah I almost forgot about that." Minato said. "It's a test given to the first year students that decides if they are liable for early promotion to the third year class or not. But, it's incredibly hard to do and not many are able to do so. In fact I believe Kakashi was the last one ever."

"Uh, actually I heard there were two of them just about three years ago." Jiraiya said.

Minato was shocked by that. To think he hadn't heard of it. "Really?"

"Yeah, I think it was Fugaku's brat, Itachi. Yeah he was definitely one of em'." Jiraiya replied looking up in thought.

"Oh, Itachi-kun? Wow, how talented is he? We haven't seen them in a while. " Kushina said.

Minato raised an eyebrow in thought. He hadn't really thought about that. It's been like what two, three years? 'Man, Menma and Mito's training ate up most of our time. We haven't seen a lot of people in a while… I haven't even checked up on Shikaku. Well, that's definitely on the to-do list.' He said picking at his food. For now, he had to enjoy the day since this is the first time they were actually celebrating the joyous occasion.

"Regardless, I think we'll hold off on the academics and all that. I want you guys to learn with your friends. I don't want you rushing out of your childhood so fast, lest you'll end up like Kakashi." She said inciting a round of laughter from the table at the man's misfortune.  
The table then broke up into their own individual conversation with Mito and Menma discussing who they wanted to invite to the party later on, Tsunade and Jiraiya were reminiscing old times, Kakashi and Shizune were just discussing previous missions they've been on and Kushina was watching Minato in wonder. He seemed troubled.

Reaching over, she put her hand on his forearm rubbing her thumb across his skin. "You ok?" she asked sincerely.

Snapping out of his daze, he smiled back to her. "Yeah, yeah I'm great. Just… thinking is all." He said. "We've got to get back in the swing of things within the village." He said confusing her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've been here at the house since we began their training. The only time we've left has been when we went out to the Hokage training grounds, but when's the last time you've seen any of your friends?"

At that, Kushina really had to think. It has been a very long time. She couldn't even remember the last time they've left the house. "Oh… I guess you're right." She said.

"Yeah. I mean, we haven't been to Ichiraku's in ages." He joked.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm dying to get my hands on a few bowls." She said with a smile. "But, really. Have we been so caught up with their training that we've just negated going out?" she asked getting back on topic.

"Well, that's gonna change today." He remarked wiping his face as he stood up, getting everyone's attention. "Everyone, when we finish our meal, we're gonna go for a walk through the village. We've been away for far too long. We must reconnect with the people. So, once you finish, I implore you to go and reconnect with friends and what not." He said as they all agreed.

* * *

Walking through the streets of Konoha with his prized Icha Icha book proudly plastered in his face, Kakashi made his way towards the ANBU HQ to catch up with a few of his old teammates. He found it strange that he too had been away from the swing of the village for a while. If he wasn't on a mission he was with the Namikaze's assisting in their training. As he walked, he noticed a kid walking quite a ways ahead of him. He noticed he too was reading a book. He looked awfully familiar from the back too.  
Kakashi noticed the Namikaze symbol on his back, 'Naruto? Where's he been?' He noticed Naruto seemed to be heading in the same direction as him so he decided to catch up.

"Hello there Naruto." He said not looking up from his book.

Naruto had momentarily looked away to see who was there, "Oh, Kakashi-nii. How are you?" he asked hollowly.

"I'm fine. And yourself?"

"I am well. It is strange to see you out and about. What would be the occasion?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Well, it's Menma and Mito's birthday." He replied.

Naruto's steps faltered slightly. "So it is." He said looking ahead from his book seeing the ANBU HQ in sight. "Would you happen to know if they are having a birthday party by chance?" he asked.

At this Kakashi truly seemed confused. They had been talking about it all week. Had he not heard? "Uh… Yeah. Yeah, they are." He answered.

Naruto nodded with his eyes on his book. "I suppose I should stop by then. I'll sign in first." He said whispering that last part to himself. Kakashi heard however and watched as the blonde turned to enter the building he had just been heading towards. Confusion and curiosity prodded him into following him in. Naruto noticed, but didn't find it weird as Kakashi had been ANBU captain at one point.

Walking in, Naruto was greeted by the head receptionist. "Welcome Tora-sama." She said passing him the forms for check in.

"Good morning Hebi-san." He replied formally. "I am signing in. Please inform Weasel I will return shortly."

"Of course, Tora-sama." She replied writing it down on a spare piece of paper so she remembered. Naruto nodded and turned to leave giving Kakashi a brief head nod before walking out. "Welcome Kakashi-sama." She said seeing him standing there. His eyes however followed Naruto all the way out the door, not paying her any mind. Confusion still wrapping his brain in a tight grip.

* * *

The Namikaze family strolled through the village streets for the first time in three years. Greeting every person that approached them. The people's admiration of the family gladly did not dwindle with their absence. They were all still adored and loved. Children passing by viewed them with wonder and awe. When they made it to the park, they had to stop and address the crowd of young fans before leaving Menma and Mito to greet their peers who were playing a game of Ninja.

Kushina stayed behind to watch as Mikoto had just arrived with her youngest son Sasuke. They decided to stay and chat for a bit so Minato decided now was as good a time as any to drop in on Shikaku to check up on things. He was returning tomorrow, but he wanted to make sure there wasn't anything major to worry about. On the way, he greeted everyone individually as a Hokage should. He shook every hand and hugged everyone who offered. The exhausting journey reminded him why it was they didn't have time to walk around the village much before. Even so, he loved it.

Finally making it to his office, he sighed as he stepped in. Shikaku was signing a document and seemed to release the breath he had been holding. "Oh man. Finally. I thought I was gonna be doin' this forever." He said sitting back in the chair with a sigh.

Minato chuckled at the lazy man. "Yeah sorry. Not back yet. You've got one more day of it all. I just came by to check up on things."

Shikaku looked at him in thought. A perplexing look on his face that didn't fully believe him. "Really?" he asked incredulously. "After three years…"

"Uh, yeah. Well, we all got a bit… preoccupied by the training and all that so…" he said dying off.

Shikaku just nodded his head as if assuring him he was listening. "How was that by the way?" he said giving up on whatever slew of curse words rested on his tongue.

Minato sighed at that, running a hand through his hair. "As good as it's gonna get for the moment. I mean, they excel at everything mostly. Their taijutsu is good, Ninjutsu is fairly well, can break out of most any Genjutsu they are subjected to and their teamwork together is good enough to land a blow on Kakashi so that's pretty good. At everything else though, they're pitiful. Horrible at fuinjutsu, lack the proper chakra control necessary for medical jutsu and god, their book smarts are awful." He said finishing his assessment. "I'm really disappointed by their fuinjutsu more than anything though. The way it's looking, neither of them will ever be good enough to get the Hiraishin down. I know it's a complex seal, but I was hoping at least one of my kids could learn it."

Shikaku wanted to palm his face. They have literally been living in a cave. As nice a cave it was, it still hid them from the world outside of their compound. The way he said that statement though gave a pang of hurt through Shikaku's heart though. It was as if he wasn't even thinking about teaching it to his oldest. As if he didn't even remember he had another child. His first thought was to ignore it and just let it blow up in his friends face when the time was right, but he figured he should at least give him a little nudge. "Well, what about Naruto?"

Minato froze completely for a second. "Naruto? Yeah, he should be graduating this year huh? Maybe he'll show an aptitude for it."

Shikaku wanted to palm _Minato's_ face! Was he that unaware of his other son's accomplishments? If he didn't even know he was no longer in the academy, then he couldn't know about his son being one of the few to pass the advanced placement test. He couldn't know about his son's alias amongst the other villages which was based off of his own. He couldn't know of his son's unblemished mission record or the various monuments popping up around the nations with his son's name on them. He couldn't know of his son's entry into the ANBU black ops at the ripe age of eleven! He couldn't know any of that!  
"Where is Naruto by the way? Have you seen him today?" Shikaku asked prodding him further into the trap he had set himself.

"Uh yeah he's uh… Well, he was…" Minato was drawing a blank. He couldn't remember if he saw his son today or not. Or if he saw him last week. Or in the last year! "He was…" he tried. Shikaku watched the confusion play out across his face in wonder. It was as if he truly didn't understand the question he had been asked. "He…" Minato looked out the window truly confused by his inability to picture his own son within the past two to three years. It broke his heart that he couldn't. Completely shattered his soul.

* * *

Sitting on the park bench, Kushina and Mikoto laughed as Kushina was telling stories of the events that happened during their three year training period. They watched the kids playing a strange game they had never seen before involving cardboard ninja tools and a flag. It was apparent to Mikoto that Menma and Mito were well trained by the advanced tactics they were using, but she was filled with pride as she watched Sasuke, on the opposing team, holding his own.

Kushina noticed as well. "I see Sasuke has a bit of training as well huh?" she inquired.

"Ah, well. That's all his brother. Always wanting to imitate him and what not." She said with a grin watching him run around and laugh with the others.

Kushina smiled and nodded understanding completely. "How is Itachi doing anyways?" She asked. "I heard he was one of the boys able to pass the advanced placement exam huh?"

Mikoto looked at her in confusion as she said it as if she didn't know already. I mean, with her son being the other, she'd figure she'd know. "y-Yeah… Yes he did." She replied brushing it off for the moment.

"What is he a chunin now?" she continued further confusing her friend.

"He's ANBU…" she said now truly looking at the woman as if she were an enemy in disguise.

Kushina didn't notice the gaze as her eyes were still on the children. "ANBU? Wow, that's amazing…" she said lowly.

Mikoto kept her gaze on Kushina wondering what it was that seemed so wrong. It was like… she had no idea her own son was the other boy whom rose through the ranks alongside Itachi. They're only twelve years old and they are already ANBU agents. Surely Naruto would've told her. Through their conversations, Mikoto knew they weren't exactly close, but still. When Itachi returned home with the news of his acceptance into ANBU, Fugaku and she threw a party for him. The entire clan was in attendance to witness the great feat. Yet, it didn't seem as if Naruto had told her anything.

Deciding to test her theory, she adjusted her positioning on the seat so that she was looking more towards Kushina than the kids in the playground. "Hey, Kushi?" she called out. Kushina tore her smiling gaze away from the children at play and looked to her friend who seemed to have something to say. "I was uh wondering. How is Naruto doing?"  
For a second, a look of confusion crossed her face hearing the name. Then a mix of many more.

* * *

Walking down the street in thought, Naruto searched for his family. He had gone to the compound after signing in, but they were nowhere to be found. He searched for a bit until he decided to head back to HQ. On the way, he ran into Itachi which the two boys then decided to continue the search as they now had a better chance.

"So, now that they are eight, I assume they will be entering the Academy along with Sasuke and the other clan children next year?" Itachi asked as he walked along the path with his best friend who still had his nose buried into his new book.

"Yeah. I suppose so." Naruto replied casually.

"Is there a reason they ended their training a year before they head for the academy?" he asked.

Naruto brought the book down in thought. "I believe they said so they have a little time to be kids again before shinobi duties become a reality."

Nodding in understanding, he continued. "Since their training is over, that would mean Hokage-sama will be retaking office sometime soon." He said receiving nothing more than a 'mhm' from the blonde. "Does he know of your rank?"

At this he pulled the book down away from his face. "I am not sure… I would assume not as they have not left the compound in such a long time." He replied.

"What about Kakashi-san? He has taken missions outside of the village a few times since our… foreign exploits. He possibly could've told him." Itachi suggested.

Naruto nodded. "Indeed. However, he seemed surprised when I signed in today. I am sure he was unaware of my status within in the ANBU black ops." He said.

Itachi nodded again. "… What of Jiraiya-sama? I'm sure his spy networks have been buzzing with your name."

"Possibly. However, I do believe I overheard Shikaku-sama explaining in frustration to someone that having both Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama on leave as well was in a way crippling Konoha's defense." He said still reading. "If that is to mean he has not been out of the village, receiving the information from his contacts would have been relatively impossible, as Konoha accepts no foreign carrier birds unless marked by the other Kage themselves." He explained.

"So, Hokage-sama has no idea his neglected son is an actual prodigy?" he asked in a joking manner.

Naruto snickered. "I'm not a prodigy. And I was not neglected. My parents took the steps necessary to ensure that my younger siblings were well taken care of. If I had to be set to the side for the time being, then so be it." He explained.

Itachi sported a small grin. "You are humble. That is good. But, if you were not neglected, then who taught you everything you know?" he asked.

Naruto thought about it for only a second. "Everyone has." He said looking at the ravenette. "Through the books they have written or left about, I have learned everything I've needed to know to become an adequate ninja on the battle field. From Jiraiya's book _The Tale of a Gutsy Ninja_ , I've learned to remain true to myself and to the people I love. From my father's notes, I have learned fuinjutsu to a high enough degree that I am able to perform his signature jutsu the Hiraishin."

Itachi stared ahead in complete amazement at the love his friend held for those around him even when they didn't deserve it.

"And it is thanks to my mother's spare key that I had access to the Namikaze library. She gave it to me on my sixth birthday. I've learned to ' _always look underneath the underneath_ ' from watching Kakashi-nii spar with Might Gai-san. I've learned a decent level of medical jutsu from the book Tsunade left at my house, and I've learned of the Uzumaki clan and some of their sealing techniques because of the books brought from my mother's homeland." He finished with a soft smile as he stared ahead.  
"Everyone in my life has done more than I could have asked for." He said. "If I must endure a few years of lonesomeness, then I will do so while carrying my family name with pride."

Itachi looked at the blonde teen with a shake of his head. "There is no man more noble than you Naruto."

"Nobility is a trait we all share. As human beings compassion shapes our existence. Sadly so does malice. When we find ourselves, we find which of these traits suits us best." He said in a poetic way that Itachi found to be completely true. He smiled at him before looking up at the sky.

"Are you still looking?" Itachi asked. The sounds of the street and the nearby park seemed much more noticeable as he found himself in a moment of profound amusement with the world around him.

"Are you?" he asked him looking away from his book. Itachi smiled a bit, perking his lips to give a reply until they tightened when they both felt a buildup of chakra. As ANBU of Konoha, they were obligated to handle any disturbance within their path involving ninja. They shunshinned to the disturbance cutting off both of the attacks before they collided. To their surprise and amusement, they were holding onto their own respective brothers.

The Rasengan in Menma's hand died out as he peered up into eyes he has not seen in a very long time now that he thought about it. Sasuke allowed the ball of fire within his own hand to die out as Itachi gave him a knowing look before poking his forehead with his middle and index fingers.

"Naruto-nii?" Menma asked. Clearly surprised by the sudden entry. Kushina and Mikoto came jogging up, stopping a ways away seeing it was handled.

"Otouto." Naruto said with a grin. "Picking fights on your birthday?" he asked letting his wrist go.

"Naruto!" Kushina yelled a bit louder than she meant to. "I uh." She said unable to find her words as she was now face to face with a child that should by all rights hate her guts.

"Hey Kaa-san." He said with a small smile. "It's okay. It was just a little playground skirmish, no harm done." He said putting his hand on Menma's hair and rustling it up.

Menma pushed his hand away glaring up at him. "It was his fault!" he yelled pleading his case to his older brother. "He's the one who cheated!"

"That's a lie! Naruto-nii!" Sasuke yelled in defense. "He's just being a baby because I beat him!" his rant was ended when Itachi squeezed his shoulder gently.

"No you didn't! And don't call him nii-san!" Menma yelled in reply. Naruto chuckled at the little verbal spout and rubbed Menma's head.

"It's fine Otouto. We win some we lose some. As Ninja we're expected to cheat. Had it been a fight you'd have lost regardless." Menma listened in finding truth to his brother's words as he at one point heard his dad say something similar. Naruto, seeing his downtrodden expression, leaned down closer so that he could whisper in his ear. "But, had it been a real fight, I'm sure you would've won hands down."

Menma's face lit up with a smile as he turned to his brother who had his fist out towards him. Understanding the gesture, he fist bumped his brother and looked over to Sasuke who was also receiving some form of praise as he and Itachi high fived. When they caught eyes, they both grinned and took off back to the playground where everyone else was watching the spectacle.

Naruto looked over at Itachi already figuring he had said something along the same lines. "Oh Itachi. Lying to your little brother?" he asked jokingly.

"Not one bit." He said with a smile. "You'd know, you helped train him." Their conversation ended when they walked over to their mothers. "Good Evening Kaa-san, Namikaze-sama." He greeted.

"Hey Itachi-kun, Naruto-kun" Mikoto replied. Kushina just gave a quick nod with a strange expression on her face.

"Hello Mikoto-sama, Kaa-san." Naruto said waving his hand at the two women.

"So." Mikoto said with a sigh. "What happened with those two?"

Itachi and Naruto walked until they were on either side of their respective mothers looking out to the children playing. Itachi answered her question. "Ah, it would appear Sasuke used unfavorable tactics in their game to win."

Mikoto sighed again. "That boy. He's just like his father. Can never admit when they've lost." She said shaking her head. From there Mikoto and Itachi got lost in their own conversation of who Sasuke was more alike. Kushina however had her perplexed expression directed at Naruto. In her musing earlier, she was sure she hadn't seen him in years. But, they lived in the same house. That's neglect. Hell that's borderline child abuse. Yet, he seems as if nothing has ever happened. Like he's been there forever.

She watched him as he pulled out a little black book and began reading. Examining him further, she saw the headband around his neck. 'But, he doesn't graduate for another week… right?' Her mind then traveled back to the way he was able to stop Menma's attack. It would take a skilled ninja to do something like that.

"Well." Mikoto said after a fit of laughing, breaking Kushina from her thoughts. "We better head home. I've got to get Sasuke ready for the festival." She said bidding Naruto and Kushina a farewell. "You coming Itachi-kun?" she asked as she walked towards the children to get Sasuke.

Itachi nodded before turning to Naruto. "I already spoke with Yugao-san. She says we are to stay on call." He said as Naruto nodded. With that, he nodded back and followed his mother and little brother away from the park and back to the Uchiha compound, leaving only Naruto and Kushina sitting on the bench.

Now alone, Naruto decided to address the elephant in the room, er in the park. "Kaa-san?" he said getting her attention which was already on him. "Is there an issue? You have been staring at me for quite a while."

Kushina blinked a few times. Tucking her hair behind her ear she looked back out at Mito and Menma. "Oh… I'm sorry Naru-ku…" she said, her voice fading out.

Naruto looked at her strangely. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked.

"No, yeah! I'm fine!" she said perking up too quick for it to seem natural. Clearly forced, Naruto gave her an unconvinced 'mhm' before sticking his nose back into his book.

"So. Where will the party be?" he asked her casually.

"The party…" she whispered in slight confusion. "Oh right. The uh… the party. It's at the house." She muttered out. "It's at home…" a little softer.

Naruto nodded from behind his book. The conversation fell silent as Naruto read and Kushina watched the children at play, mentally berating herself on how awful a mother she was. Her heart was breaking piece by piece and the silence between them was making it worse. It hurt worse that Naruto seemed so easily forgiving. In an unexplainable way, she wanted him to hate her. She wanted him to hate all of them for leaving him to the wolves. She wanted him to tell her how much she hurt him by forgetting about him. She wanted him to say anything that would justify the feeling of hatred she felt towards herself. All she got was a smile and a wave with a sweet 'Hello Kaa-san'. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Kaa-san? Do you enjoy reading?" Naruto asked suddenly, breaking the thick silence between them.

Kushina, caught off guard at first, processed the question. "Um. Reading?" she asked as he nodded. "No I can't really say I do… your father is the reader…" she said, a bit disappointed she didn't have that in common with him.

Naruto nodded. "Ah. I figured as much." Kushina saddened a bit more at that. Was he calling her dumb? "You always seemed like the type to see the beautiful world yourself instead of reading it in a book written through someone else's eyes."

She looked over at him in confusion. Was he complementing her? Really?

"I guess Tou-san put the books down when he met you, huh?" he asked with a smile as he looked at her. Her confused visage remained the same. "I read in a book written by Kiori Kotari, a poet of rice country, which said, ' _Through my books I experience life in all aspects. They are my eyes for the sights I can't see and my ears for the songs I can't hear. But, one day, I will meet someone who, in a strange way, will share their sight and ear with me. So that I may, one day, put my books down… and enjoy life through my own eyes._ '"

Kushina dazed off in thought of the mesmerizing words. She had never heard anything so beautiful. It made her reminisce, briefly, the many adventures she and Minato ventured on. The amazing sights they witnessed as they traveled the shinobi world. Naruto made it seem like people like herself who didn't like to read were somehow special. As if they were so brilliant, they didn't have to understand what they were looking at to appreciate its magnificence. She smiled and realized she still had yet to answer his question.  
"Yeah… yeah I guess he did." She finally responded.

Naruto smiled as he looked out towards his little sister who was playing tag with her own group of friends mainly consisting of the clan heiress's of the Hyuga and Yamanaka clans as well as a young girl with pink hair. "Mito is a lot like you huh?" he asked in wonder drawing her attention to the little redhead. "I hope she stays that way." He whispered gently.

Kushina smiled allowing a tear to fall from her left eye, away from Naruto's view. She couldn't take much more of this if she was honest. It was tearing her heart apart bit by bit. Wiping the stray tear, she allowed the thick silence to settle back in. The minutes rolled by and the only sounds present to her were the normal sounds of children at play, distant chatter, and Naruto occasionally flipping pages.

"Kaa-san?" he said standing to his feet, getting her attention. She gave a 'hmm?' in reply. "Would you like some lunch?" he asked suddenly.

Looking up, Kushina was surprised to see it was already a bit pass noon. She didn't realize how long they had been out there. Apparently it was more than a few hours. "Oh. Yeah, I guess it's about lunch time." She said getting to her feet calling out to her children. Off to their long awaited meal of the gods!

* * *

Walking into the new and improved Ichiraku's Kushina, Mito, and Menma looked around in amazement. The place was amazing. There were tables all over the place with booths lining the side. When they walked in, they were greeted by a woman they hadn't seen before.

"Oh my." She said in amazement clearly recognizing the family of the Yondaime. "Um. Welcome to Ichiraku's Mrs. Namikaze! I am pleased to serve you!" she said clearly excited by the group. She almost didn't notice Naruto.  
"Oh! Hey Naruto!" she called out again.

Naruto smiled at her and waved. "Hello Hakari-chan."

"Please follow me. I'll take you to your booth." She said grabbing a stack of menus. The family weaved through the restaurant waving and smiling at the other customers who stopped their meals to say hello to the Namikaze family. They made it to the back booth that had a reserved card on the top. She took it off and quickly wiped it down for them to make sure it was clean.  
Menma and Mito sat on one side against the back wall to which they could see the rest of the restaurant. Naruto allowed his mother to slide in first and he sat on the edge. Hakari passed out the menus before giving the table one more smile. "Ok guys, I'll give you a minute to view the menu and I'll be back to take your order."

Before she turned to leave Naruto stopped her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and walked off. Now, the table sat in relative silence as Naruto read his book and Mito and Menma argued over whatever could be argued over.  
Kushina felt a bit awkward sitting there with all of her children. Her mind still had no idea how to wrap around the fact that they forgot about one of their children. She wanted so badly for someone to at least talk about it, but he seemed not to care for it. Why did it hurt more that he didn't? Shouldn't she be relieved?

"So. How do you like the new place?" Naruto asked directing his statement to his mother even though he didn't look her way.

Kushina peered over her shoulder at the décor which she only briefly glanced at. "It's uh… It's beautiful." She said vaguely.

"Why thank you. We've worked very hard on it." A new voice said shocking the group.

"Teuchi!" yelled Mito and Menma scurrying out of their seats to give the man a hug. Ayame walking up right behind him.

"Oh! I knew my favorite family hadn't forgotten about me!" he said scooping the kids up. Naruto scoot out allowing Kushina to get up and greet them.

"Hey Teuchi." Kushina said with a smile giving the man a hug.

"Kushinaaa" he replied wrapping her up as well. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's great to see you too." She replied hugging Ayame. While everyone retook their seats, Teuchi and Ayame began to explain their improvements and the need for expansion. They rambled on for so long, Mito had to remind everyone what they had originally came there to do.

"Right! The ramen!" Teuchi exclaimed. "Don't worry, I already know the order. It is the Namikaze special after all." He said as he and Ayame headed back to the kitchen to prepare the food. Again, the table fell somewhat silent as the kids found something new to argue about as they always did. Kushina again fell back into her own mental state of depression over what she had done and Naruto was stuck in his book as usual.

Their attention was drawn to the front of the restaurant however as there was even more commotion than when they had entered. Whoever was coming in seemed to gain enough praise for a few of the patrons to stand and greet. Seeing who it was, Mito and Menma were the first to react with a simultaneous shout of "Tou-san!"

Minato quickly greeted those around him as he followed the waitress to where his family was. His face was set in an indescribable expression. A mixture of worry, sorrow, sadness, anger, and grief all barely masked by a smile.

Once Naruto saw who it was, he smiled and turned back to his book. Kushina continued looking in desperation. She and Minato caught eyes as he came into view. Just by looking they could tell the other was thinking the same thing. All Minato saw was his wife. He didn't have time to exam the others at the table before walking up as his attention was continuously being drawn towards people welcoming him back.

Arriving at the table in panic, "Kushina, we need to t-…" he began until he finally noticed the subject of his worry. "Naruto…"

He stood there shell shocked for a moment as his two youngest crashed into his mid-section together. He didn't know what to say. He was fearing the worst as they were in such a public area. The troubled expression on Kushina's face told him Naruto had already said a few things to her. No question he'd have more than a few for himself.

"Hello Tou-san." Naruto said casually as the kids sat back down. Seeing there were no more seats he quickly got to his feet. "Here, sit down." He said gesturing towards the booth as he asked the table next to them if the empty chair was an extra. After confirming it was, he thanked them and set it at the open end.

Minato looked around the table in confusion. Mainly towards Kushina who had his hand in a deathlike grip beneath the table.

Seeing the whole family was now together, Naruto thought it rude to have a book out so he stashed it for the time being. Menma and Mito again, as always, began an argument that the others zoned out of. Minato and Kushina felt so tense and awkward that it would've been hard not to notice. Naruto of course saw it and wondered what the cause was. He tried to think up a conversation that families would have at a dinner table. In a few of the fictional books he read, the family dinners that described this type of silence always consisted of some dramatic incident weighing heavy on the minds of the characters. The silence would usually be broken by a joke.

Thinking up something quick, he opened his mouth in an attempt to break the ice, but as soon as he did, Teuchi and Ayame came to the rescue delivering the food. They had planned on the inhuman family devouring bowl after bowl so they brought more than necessary so each of them got one. After greeting Minato and bidding the family a good meal, he left them to their dinner.

Menma and Mito tore into theirs with a vengeance now making it a competition to see who could eat it fastest. Taking his jacket off and draping it over his chair, Naruto watched the spectacle in amusement before turning to his own bowl. He twiddled his chopsticks at the noodles still uncomfortable with the silence that settled back in. Peering over, he saw his father doing the same as him and his mother staring at the Naruto fish cakes in her bowl with glossy eyes.  
Finally having enough of it, he cleared his throat. "So, will you be retaking office tomorrow?" he asked Minato who was caught off guard.

"o-Oh, yeah." He muttered out before clearing his own throat. "Yeah."

Naruto nodded. "That's great. I think Shikaku-sama was just about ready to quit the other day." He said with an amused tone.

Minato looked at the boy unsure of what to think. Was he not mad? The whole time he spent looking for Kushina, he had gone over many scenarios for what to expect when he faced him again. He expected anger, heartbreak, indifference, or anything else. But, not this. Not whatever this was. "Um.. Yeah. That sounds like him." He replied back forcing a few chuckles out.

Naruto smiled, happy they at least got the conversation started. "I guess Hokage isn't for everybody." He said chuckling as well. "If brains is all it took then we'd be run by the Nara clan… with mandatory cloud watching every other hour." He said receiving an actual chuckle from his father to his amusement.

"That's true." He said with a smile. "Or maybe an official nap time for the whole village." He said as he and Naruto shared a laugh with Kushina smiling off to the side, shaking her head.

"They're not all bad. I mean, Yoshino isn't like that." Kushina said defending her friend.

Naruto and Minato ended their laugh to plead their case. "Yes. But, she was not born in the clan. She was merely married into it."

"And according to Shikaku she does have her moments." Minato said with a few remaining chuckles. Figuring it an unfair match up, Kushina just chuckled along and began to eat her ramen.

"Do you plan on becoming active again Kaa-san?" Naruto asked.

Kushina slurped the noodles hanging from her mouth so that she could answer. "No. I think I'm just going to keep training Mito and Menma until they have gotten out of the academy. After that, I may consider it." She replied.

"Ah." Naruto said. "That is a sound plan. Will you be their Jonin sensei?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. I think your father wanted Kakashi to be their sensei." She said looking his way.

Minato slurped the noodles in his mouth as well. "Ah, that is the plan." He said still chewing. "I mean, if he still wants it of course."

"Kakashi-nii sounds like a swell idea." Naruto said. Before the conversation could continue, a very unexpected statement left the mouth of someone none of them expected.

"I thought you were dead." The table stopped everything and peered over at Mito in shock. Her eyes glued on Naruto.

"Mito!" Kushina exclaimed. "Why would you say that?" she demanded.

Mito looked back at her mother in confusion as she didn't understand why she was in trouble. "What? We haven't seen him in years." She said pointing out the concern Minato and Kushina had been dreading.

"Mito that's…" Minato said trying to explain, choking on his own words. He looked to Kushina for assistance, but she didn't seem to have anything to say either. In an attempt to get something out, he muttered, "We haven't seen a lot of people in years."

"Yeah, but… He's supposed to live with us." She replied in confusion. "He doesn't come to breakfast or dinner or training or any of that."

Minato and Kushina were at a loss of words as they didn't know what to say. To their glee, Naruto answered. "Well, Imouto. You and Menma hold a very special power inside you. A power that you have to learn to control as soon as possible." He explained.

"You mean the Kyubi?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. The Kyubi… Well, in order to gain control over it, it takes a lot of practice and training. That's why you guys have been on a very strict schedule. From the moment you guys woke up to the moment you went to sleep you have had something to do, right?" he asked receiving a nod from the both of them. "Well, you see me? I'm much too lazy to do what you guys do." He said receiving looks of amusement from the two.

"You're lazy nii-san?" Menma asked.

"Oh, the laziest. What you guys do is way too much. You must be superheroes or something." He said receiving giggles from the two. Minato and Kushina watched the scene in wonder. There was a piece of them that felt guilty about what they did, but there was another that told them he understood. Now that Menma and Mito were at a decent enough level, they were both determined to train Naruto as well.  
Well… that's what they were hoping for.

Mito, now comfortable with the explanation, was still hungry as Menma took the last bowl. Seeing Naruto barely ate his second one, she asked him for it. "Nii-san, are you gonna eat that?"

Naruto shook his head with a smile as he passed it to her. In doing so, Menma's eyes lit up with shock and awe as Naruto's left sleeve raised up from extending his body and he could see his bare arm. "You have a tattoo!?" he exclaimed.

Minato and Kushina both stopped their eating, hearing the exclamation. In Konoha, it was illegal for shinobi to have tattoos. Well, there was one exception.

"Ah, yes I do." Naruto replied rolling his sleeve up so they could see.

Menma and Mito leaned in, poking at it as if it were something you could feel. "What is it?" Mito asked.

"It's my ANBU tattoo." He said looking down at it as well.

Both Minato and Kushina thought the same thing. 'ANBU!?'

 **AN: Till next time**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Welcome back. Ok, so I have finally found the direction I want to take this story. To be honest, I just sort of free wrote the first chapter. It was just something that popped out. But, after giving it some thought and gaining some inspiration, I finally have the official plot and I know how to get there. This plot will give me the opportunity to pay homage to my all-time favorite fictional character and bring in the official love interest which will all be presented in time. In my mind it's amazing. Some people may not like it. Some people may. For those willing to stay, I assure you it will be something you haven't read yet.**

 **As a little fun competition, the first person to guess my favorite fictional character will get a shout out in a future chapter.**

 **Sorry by the way. I had to repost the chapter as for some reason it deleted all of the spaces I put in. Hopefully it looks right when I replace it this time.**

 **"-break-" these are just scene breaks within the same location or when involving the same characters moving to a different location. The full line is cutting off a scene all together.**

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 2**

The Namikaze compound was bursting with excitement. Well, as much excitement as a kids party could have. The massive property was filled with important people. Almost all of the clan heads and their children were in attendance and even a few civilians who were glad their children had been invited by the birthday kids just a few hours ago at the festival. A joyous occasion it was, there was food being served, music being played, and plenty of kid friendly activities taking place in the training area.

The children were continuing their game from earlier in a boys versus girls match that would've been outmatched had it not been for Mito somehow being able to hold her own against both Menma and Sasuke. While that was going on, the adults remained inside, chatting with one another or spilling the latest gossip around the village. As comical as it is with the people they knew, there was plenty to talk about.

For one, it seemed as though Kakashi was stuck to his remaining teammate like glue with people speculating on their more than friendly relationship, Tsunade and Shizune leading the talk. Then there was Jiraiya, trying his best to talk up a few of the single civilian moms who were adamantly denying his requests. Most of the clan heads, including the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyuga clan heads were discussing next year's academy class and the training they had done to prepare their children.

In the kitchen, Kushina, Yoshino, Mikoto, and Ayame prepared plates of food for the guests and made sure everything was ready for cake and ice cream for later on. Kushina was working like a mindless drone, not even paying attention to what her friends were saying. Her mind too focused on her forgotten son, as it had been since they parted ways after the Kyubi festival. Still a painfully fresh realization, she just wanted this day to end. It seemed everlasting, as if Kami wanted her to suffer as long as possible.

That thought hurt as well. She couldn't even force a smile for her other children on their birthday. This really wasn't how she imagined this day going. It was supposed to be a day of relaxing and fun after the long period of stressful work they had put in over the three years. Stressful in the way that they really didn't make much progress. At the end of it all, Mito and Menma's skills were barely Genin level at best. Of course that isn't too bad for kids not even in the Academy yet, but even so. In the same period of time, one of her children excelled to the rank of ANBU! On his own! What did that say about their 'flawless training schedule'?

She still couldn't believe it. Any of it. Naruto had graduated the academy at the age of nine. He didn't even stay a full year! Then, he became chunin at ten and ANBU a few months later! It filled her with so many mixed emotions that she didn't know what it was she was supposed to feel. Was she supposed to feel happy for him, or sad he never told them? Prideful that her son was such a prodigy, or disappointed that he didn't need them?

There were just too many possibilities that jumbled together and too many unexplainable variables that threw her for a loop. Mainly Naruto's attitude towards the whole ordeal. His nonchalant manner as if it didn't happen. If he had been angry with them, or spiteful then she'd know exactly how to feel. She'd understand her feeling of self-hatred, but she didn't know how to feel about blatant disregard. She could not process this seamless forgiveness he held for them. All it did was hurt more than it would have had he called them out on it or ignored them altogether.

When she had gotten home from Ichiraku's, the first thing she did was go up to his room. There was nothing left within it sans a dusty note on his bed. The date it was written is what broke her heart more than the content itself. It was August 21st, Naruto's birthday.

The note had explained his reasoning for moving out, highlighting points such as him turning ten and being an active ninja, therefore making him an adult. Then it talked about not wanting to disturb anybody when he came home late from a mission, him taking up space, or using utilities for free when he now had an income to assist in paying. Confusing her as he said, ' _I read in a book that in a well-functioning house hold, all occupants should pay a portion of the bills as is proper etiquette_.' It didn't make sense to her that he wouldn't bring the matter up with them before making such a brash decision.

Regardless, that day, two years ago, he moved out. And they were just finding out now. What did that say for her mothering skills? She could try and tell herself 'the schedule was too filling' or that 'he had always been quiet' but she knew it was all bullshit. Just sad attempts to convince herself that she was still salvageable as a caring mother. How could she fault herself on something everyone would do right?

God, she hated this day so much. The day they had all been waiting for all week long. It was a hellish experience that slowed down second by second every time her heart beat. They hadn't spoken yet, but she knew, she _knew_ Minato was feeling the same way.

 **-break-**

Walking back into the kitchen, Minato grabbed two more plates from the counter silently. Walking them back out to the guests. A perfectly fake smile plastered expertly on his face as he weaved through the crowded home, searching for someone without a plate. Just as he had been doing all day, he greeted everyone who addressed him first. Only giving them quick 'hellos' or chuckle's when they threw a joke his way. All for the purpose of masking his agonizing frustration.

Naruto and the others parted ways after leaving Ichiraku's as he and Kushina brought Mito and Menma home to get dressed for the festival. After receiving that note from Kushina, a spark lit inside him that wasn't there while at the restaurant. Then, he couldn't even find the words to talk to his son. Now, all he wanted to do was have a conversation with him. To explain things or at the very least get a better feel for how Naruto felt. He couldn't accept that Naruto would just forgive them so easily. There had to be some level of resentment. Maybe just a little, but there just had to be something.

In a stroke of good luck for the first time that day, Minato saw Naruto and Itachi walking up the walkway through the window. He decided now was the time. If he put it off any longer he'd go insane. Handing out the final plate, he briskly walked towards the door. Before he made it, it was already opening.

"Hokage-sama." Said Itachi bowing in respect.

Minato scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile. "Ah, there's no need for that Itachi. Please, come in." he said stepping aside. Itachi nodded and went further into the house. Spotting someone that caught his attention, he bid the two a farewell, leaving Naruto and Minato at the door.

"Hello Tou-san." He said holding up the gifts he had brought for Mito and Menma. "Would you happen to know where I can place these?" he asked.

Minato searched around, not really sure where Kushina had set everything up. "Um. No I can't say I do." He replied. Naruto nodded his head and looked around for someone who might. Nodding to his father with a smile, he began to leave. 'Now or never' Minato thought. "Uh, hey Naruto." He called out, stopping him before he could leave. Naruto looked at him attentively. "Uh, could I talk to you for a bit?" he asked nodding his head up towards the top of the stairs.

"Of course. May I alert Kaa-san that I am here?" he asked gesturing towards the kitchen. Minato quickly nodded and tucked his hands into his pockets, now feeling a lot more nervous than he felt just a few minutes ago.  
As Naruto left, Minato headed upstairs, sure he had gotten the hint it was a conversation to be held in private, away from the people. He stood in his and Kushina's bedroom, pacing back in forth, really thinking about what it was he wanted to say to him. He didn't want to bombard him with questions or just blatantly ask him how he felt. He didn't really want to talk him into it either. Naruto is an ANBU operative so Minato was sure he'd be able to deduce such a tactic. His plan wasn't interrogation, he just wanted to talk to his son.

 **-break-**

After dropping off his gifts at the table he spotted in the backyard, Naruto greeted his mother who seemed as awkward as she had at the restaurant. Passing it off as a possible overwhelming of her return, he didn't address it.

Now, on his way up the stairs, he tried to guess what it was his father wanted to talk about. Possibly his incredulous growth and how he acquired his jutsu. He was sure he'd get scolded for not being patient, but Itachi and he were in such a competition, he didn't even think about it. He just had to keep finding something to get ahead of him. Every time, however, Itachi came with something newer and better, so Naruto had to keep up. Before he knew it, he was mastering his father's sealing notes. Kami, he prayed this didn't have to do with that.

Making it to the top of the stairs, he reminisced how long it had been since he'd been there. Everything was just the same. On the way, he passed by his old bedroom, peering inside. He noticed the note was gone, so maybe they had known of his self-training.

Finally arriving, he knocked on the door awaiting his father's approval to enter. Hearing the muffled 'come in', he stepped in and shut the door. Minato was outside on the balcony, overlooking the children in the backyard. Naruto stepped up and stood next to him. He looked down at the way Menma and Sasuke argued as they both drew their plan of action in the dirt for the rest of the boys to see, debating on which would work better.

"Ah, those two will become something amazing one day." Naruto said, once again kicking off the conversation. Minato didn't reply. He just continued to stare out at the group of kids, segregated by gender, plotting against the opposing side. There was a question resting on his tongue, but he couldn't ask it. He couldn't even speak.

"That's a lot how Itachi and I were…" Naruto continued, trying to get the man to say _anything_. Minato only chuckled so lowly, it almost sounded like he just blew more air out of his nose than usual. After a few more painful seconds of silence, Naruto nudged him. "So Tou-san… What was it you wished to speak about?"

Now, with no way to avoid the conversation that he himself requested, Minato cleared his throat, giving himself another few seconds to think about how to word it. Or, at least figure out whatever 'it' was. "I uh..." he tried. Naruto watched as his mouth opened and closed noiselessly as if the words were just not there. "I wanted to talk to you about… well, everything…" he said, finally spitting it out.

Naruto still didn't fully understand. Was he talking about the various jutsu he stole? "I apologize. I don't believe I follow you." Naruto replied.

"Naruto. I want you to understand… I mean… to know that… your mother and I…" The words were just nonexistent when he tried to form a sentence. "we love you…" Naruto looked at him just as confused as he had been the entire time. "We always have…"

Processing his words, Naruto's face went through a mixture of emotions including realization, sadness, panic, and worry. He looked at his father in concern. "Tou-san…" Minato waited with his breath caught in his chest. "Are… are you and Kaa-san getting divorced?"

Minato stared in shock, with a face that asked, 'where'd you get that idea from?'

Naruto fished through his pouch. "I read in a book that describes this scenario perfectly. First, you and Kaa-san seemed very tense and detached all day, you barely spoke with one another at lunch, and one of the final steps is pulling the children aside separately so that you can explain it."

Minato was at a loss for words. It was such a strange assumption to come to. Stepping back, he could see of course the similarities in the situations, but still. For an ANBU operative, he had assumed he'd be a little more observant and analytical. So stunned, he still hadn't said a word, so Naruto continued on with facts he once read.

"Sometimes marriages fail when the partners feel as though they are too confined within their everyday life." He said pulling out a little white book, flipping a few pages. "Possibly the training regimen is to blame. Since it is over, may I suggest a vacation sometime in the near future? There are amazing spas within Spring country. I read about them when I wa.."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Minato cut in, finally zoning back into reality. "We are _not_ getting divorced, ok?" he stated, calming the boy down. "That's not it son, I just… I just wanted to let you know that… In case you didn't know." Still Naruto was confused.

"Well, of course I know that… I mean, why wouldn't I?" he asked him. Minato looked at him. No one was this forgiving. "Is this about me not telling you of the ANBU thing?" Minato didn't get a chance to answer before he continued. "I was going to Tou-san, honest. But, you guys were working so hard, I didn't want to bother you."

"It's not that either…" Well, that wasn't all of it. Mustering up the courage to finally discuss, it, he stopped, hearing the familiar sound of a Shunshin, an ANBU agent appeared on the ledge. He climbed down and bowed in the presence of the Hokage, but addressed the one he was there to retrieve.

"Tora-san. A mission has appeared which requires your teams' expertise." The man said. "Please gather Weasel-san and report to the ANBU HQ within 30 mins."

"Ah. I understand." He said nodding to the man. Once he shunshinned away, Naruto turned to Minato. "Well. Duty calls and what not." He said stepping back inside. "Some other time Tou-san. Oh, and let Mito and Menma know I was here." He called out over his shoulder.

'Damn it.' Minato thought. He just missed his chance. Of course, he understood though being in the ANBU himself at one point. When they called, you went, no matter what you had to drop to do so. Next time he got the opportunity, he wasn't wasting it as he had just then. He'd be sure of it.

* * *

Walking down the street, away from the Namikaze compound, Naruto continued to annoy his friend with false kissy noises, teasing him for his infatuation with a girl within his clan, Izumi Uchiha. Calming down from his previous streak of laughing, he nudged his arm with his elbow, seeing he was upset. "Ah come on Itachi. I believe your infatuation with Izumi-san is something to be cherished. It is quite beautiful actually, for those in our profession to find such a connection to someone who hasn't yet seen the things we have is fantastic. It shows that, despite the horrors we have experienced, there is still humanity within you. ' _In the life of Shinobi, maintaining one's humanity is something frowned upon when at war. But, to me, it mattered not. For, I was determined to be more than the kunai they told me I was._ ' Yonya Jui, The Weapon I Was." Naruto said, throwing out a quote from a book that he found suited the situation while sighting the author and book verbally.

Itachi snickered. "You and these quotes. You've got one for everything huh?" he asked rhetorically as a way of shifting the conversation.

"Not quite, sometimes they just fit rather well." He said scratching the back of his head, smiling in embarrassment.

Itachi nodded. "It would seem as though many of them do." Silence settled in after that while they walked through the streets of the village in the aftermath of the festival. Various pieces of trash from goodies and what not lay scattered around the streets. Vendors from out of the village packed up their stuff, ready to head back to where ever they had come. Nearly midnight, there weren't too many people out and about as everyone left standing were adults who packed into the numerous bars around the village for some late night drinking.

As they walked, they were greeted by the few passing Uchiha patrols who nodded in their direction. All the while, Naruto stuck behind the book Itachi gave him and Itachi gone within his own thoughts.

"Itachi." Naruto said getting his attention. "May I ask you what it is like?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he meant.

"To be in love." He clarified.

Itachi grunted as is seemingly customary for his clan. "Hn, and you'd assume I'd know?"

"Well, of course you would." Naruto said. "You are in love with Izumi-san right?"

"She is just a friend." Itachi replied.

Naruto looked at him, confused by his denial. "But… you show the signs of someone in love." he said rummaging through his pouch pulling out a scroll. He unrolled it and unsealed yet another book. "Nakami Utzukiya, a marriage counselor of Spring country, wrote a love novel in which the main character states ' _I know the signs of a man in lo_.."

"You can't get all of your information from fictional writing." Itachi bud in, looking at the book he had in his hand.

Naruto looked at him, still as confused as before. "Why not? It is usually a good source for a different perspective on most topics."

"Right." Itachi replied. "But they are usually opinions of the author. Not proven fact."

"Sometimes that is not always the point." Naruto replied, sending him a smile. "If you would read a few of them yourself, you would discover things about Itachi Uchiha that you may find interesting. You believe you are not in love, but I could wager my life you are." Naruto said looking ahead to the HQ that was now in sight.

"You seem to be in a rush to meet death." He said receiving a chuckle from the blonde as they entered the building.

 **-break-**

Opening his locker to adorn his uniform, Naruto continued the conversation. "The thing about books is that a man could live a thousand lives if he so wished."

"Living one good life in reality seems much more fulfilling." Itachi contended.

"To individuals such as yourself I suppose. For some, hearing what the world means to others is fulfilling as well. Shinobi especially." He debated.

"How so?" Itachi asked, clamping on his forearm guards.

Strapping his black sword to his back, Naruto reached up for the top of the locker, pulling down his mask. "We are subjected to scenes most people wouldn't even dare write about. On a weekly basis, we view scenes depicting pain, sorrow, hatred, and fear, but not much else. For the lucky few, those things come along with admiration." He said, hinting at Itachi. "But, for others, a good book can remind you that there is some good in this world. Without an outlet, we'd loss our minds."

"So, that's why you read them?" Itachi asked, placing his weevil mask on.

Naruto put his tiger painted mask on as well. "We all need something."

 **-break-**

Opening the door to the mission briefing room, Yugao and Hayate were already overlooking a map for the mission parameters. Naruto and Itachi walked in and stood at the opposite side of the table at attention. Hayate and Yugao were seemingly working out the kinks. When they finished, they nodded to each other and got the attention of their young prodigies.

"Ok." Hayate began with two small coughs afterwards. "This mission is a search and rescue. We will be heading into Kusagakure. Our team was requested due to the claims of the enemy possessing some sort of impressive Genjutsu. Weevil's Sharingan is vital." He explained as the black haired teen nodded in understanding.  
"When we get through that, there was also a claim of our target being locked within some sort of high classed sealing technique which is where Tora comes in." Receiving his nod of confirmation, he continued. "Our target is the son of a rich merchant, Kyjo Nomo. Mr. Nomo received a letter a few weeks ago offering a trade of his own head for his son's life. Being the closest village, we were offered the mission with major payout. We are expected to face low ranking nukes, C to possibly B class at best. However, along the quickest route, which is the one we will be taking as time is of the essence, there have been sightings of possible S ranks." He finished.

Yugao continued after him. "Remain light on your toes and stay alert. It is a twelve day trip there on foot. We will be taking the trees which will cut it down to eight. Our estimated ETA is two weeks."

Piggy backing off of her, Hayate continued. "That is, of course, if we are able to retrieve the boy within the first two days of us being there. Let's get in, get the boy, and get out. No unauthorized side missions…" he said as Tora and Weevil gave quick bows to their superiors with a simultaneous shout of 'Hai'. The team of ANBU operatives departed five minutes later.

* * *

"Happy Birthday dear Menma and Mito… Happy Birthday to you!" the party occupants all sang in unison, cheering as the two blew their candles out. From there, a quieter than usual Kushina cut the massive cake as the women who volunteered to help passed out plates of the delicious sweet to the kids and guests. It was half past midnight so most of the party goers had retired to their homes, trusting that whatever gift they got for the two would be useful in some way.  
Kushina's smile had long since faded as she was too tired to even pretend anymore. As Menma and Mito opened gifts, she sat in a chair off to the side, mindlessly staring at something within her line of sight. Glossy eyed and uninterested at the excitement of the two children she has seen for three years straight. She had never felt so annoyed of her two prized children before this point. For whatever the reason was, she just wanted them to quit being so joyful. A clear sign of her exhaustion, she held her tongue.

Minato was at the end of his rope as well. He leaned against the door frame of the backyard, looking in on Mito and Menma opening present after present while the kids surrounding them stared on in awe. Never before had he felt so mentally and physically drained. Having both fought in and commanded an army in war, that was definitely saying something. Who knew mentally kicking yourself in the ass could drain you so much?  
After all of the excitement had left the atmosphere and the parents had reached their limit, the party's numbers dwindled bit by bit. Everyone finding it an absolute must to bid the Hokage a good night which he returned systematically, trying to get them out as fast as he could. Before too long, there were only a few remaining stragglers. Mainly those whose wives stayed behind to assist in the cleaning. A little longer and it was just the Uchiha's.

Standing in the doorway, Minato was approached by Fugaku for the first time that night. He was so busy that he didn't have much time to associate with anyone other than his brief conversation with his son. "Well, I assume by your recent mannerisms that you've learned of your sons' success?" he asked him in a knowing tone.

Minato was too tired to decide if it were meant to be a simple statement or an insult hidden within a question, so he went with the former to avoid any conflict. "Yeah… he's amazing."

"Indeed." Fugaku replied. "Those two will far surpass us in time." He continued, gazing out at the view he could see from the porch. "Maybe they already have…"

Minato chuckled at that. "From the things I've heard today, I wouldn't doubt it."

"He is full of surprises, that son of yours."

Minato turned to him. "How much do you know of him?" he asked suddenly.

Fugaku peered at him in questioning. "Depends on what you're asking."

"Well… how strong is he really?... what are his abilities and what not?" Minato stated more so than asked.

Hearing his wife bidding Kushina a goodnight, Fugaku chuckled at the question. "I'd advise going to watch the film of their match within the Chunin exams." He said with a smile. "I warn you now. It is absolutely spectacular."

Minato wanted him to elaborate, but as it had been all day, his luck was against him. "Ah, Minato." Said Mikoto walking over with Sasuke. "Say bye, Sasuke-kun." She said leading him towards the door.

"Goodnight Menma's Tou-san." He said receiving a flick to the ear from his mother. "Ow! I mean, Hokage-sama." He corrected. Mikoto shook her head as he jogged out the door.

"That boy." She said lowly. "What are you two talking about?"

"Just man things." Fugaku said a little too hastily. Before he realized his slip of the tongue, he could feel a chilly presence behind him accented with enough killer intent to make Minato gulp. Turning around, he looked into the playful eyes of his wife.

"Oh, and what would these so called… 'man things' entail?" she asked sweetly.

Fugaku gulped as well, looking over to Minato who avoided his eye contact at all costs. "Uh…" he began, but quickly ended whatever he was about to say as it wasn't wise for his health.

"Are you ok, dear?" she asked still as sweetly as before. "Maybe I should get you home." She finished pushing him out the door gently. "Goodnight Minato." She said smiling at him as well.

Minato watched them go as they linked arms. Fugaku turned back to him with a face he's seen on many men either leaving or headed to war. He'd spare a brief prayer for the man that night. But, he was glad everyone was finally gone.

 **-break-**

Walking into the kitchen, he saw Kushina doing the dishes. He stepped up beside her and began to help her. "I got it." She said with a flat tone that held an underlining of annoyance.

"It's fine. I can help." He said pulling out a fresh rag for drying.

Kushina let the dishes in her hands drop down, clattering against the metal sink, startling Minato. She looked up to the ceiling in frustration, shutting her eyes and taking a breath to steady herself. "Minato?" She whispered lowly. "I said. I got it."

He put the rag and plate down and placed his hands along the edge of the counter to support his weight. His eyes were firmly set on the sink handle that seemed so interesting for some reason. He was thinking of something to say in this situation. No words were coming to mind, but he really wasn't interested in going to bed with an angry Kushina. He had to think of something that could possibly calm her down.  
She went back to washing the dishes, simply reaching across the man when she had to. Minato looked at her in thought. Maybe reassurance? "…He doesn't hate us."

"And that makes it better?" she asked immediately as if she had been prepared for that question for a while.

"No, but… maybe it means we have a chance to make it right?" he said hopefully. Kushina didn't seem convinced.

"Make it right?" she asked once again dropping the dishes down. "Make it right!?" she bellowed louder. "What the hell do you mean make it ri-…" she yelled dying off, hearing Mito and Menma walk in. She quickly tightened her lips shut and began aggressively scrubbing at a plate that had been clean for a while now. Minato heard the two come in as well, but his eyes were still on the side of Kushina's face. Mentally pleading with her to talk to him so that they could work through it.

Mito and Menma looked at the two in worry as they had never really seen them fight before. Neither brave enough to say anything, they just watched as Minato turned around and sighed. "Come on you two… it's time for bed." They stood rooted to their spots until he walked over to them, ushering them out of the room. Kushina was left there with her face in her hands and tears falling freely. This life was not going as she had planned out just twelve hours ago. Nothing was right, but everyone acted as if nothing was wrong.

* * *

Four masked ANBU ninja of Konohagakure were perched in a tree, overlooking a temple of some sort. There were a number of nuke ninja guarding the perimeter. From their position, they couldn't see any under the rank of B. Some of them were minor A's, but all of them high classed killers that could stand toe to toe with at least a Jonin on their own. Among the bunch were two individuals they really had to worry about, Deidara, Iwa's mad bomber, and Rojin Kirin, of Kumo. Both S class killers with amazing abilities that had to be respected.

Performing hand signals to speak with each other, Hayate commanded Naruto and Itachi to search the back of the temple for any entrance as he and Yugao decided on a plan of action. Their main priority was getting the boy. A stealthy approach was the only way to go about it. They couldn't go with an aggressive tactic as the boy could be killed before they reached him. It would be the issue of finding him more than anything. He had the thought of just sending in Naruto and Itachi, as they were the most well equipped for the possible obstacles within, but he opted out seeing the type of man power the captive was willing to hire for just the outward defense.  
When hiring men, you want the best of the best to be near you or whatever high value possession you are trying to protect. With two S ranks guarding the door, Hayate actually feared what kind of monster they had inside.

 **-break-**

Landing in a tree high enough to give them a better vantage point, Naruto and Itachi scoped out the back of the temple. From the naked eye, Naruto couldn't see much. Luckily, Itachi could. Using the ANBU hand signals, he conveyed to the blonde that there was a small hole in the wall. There was some sort of powerful Genjutsu layered atop of it. With a possible entrance, the two headed back for Yugao and Hayate.

 **-break-**

Hayate had gone over the only possible way he saw them doing this successfully with having Naruto and Itachi going in first to retrieve the boy as they caused a disturbance from outside to pave a way for their escape. Yugao profusely denied the plan's possibility for success, arguing that they may not find a way in. As unlucky timing would have it, they came back with news of finding a way in. She then argued that they may not be capable of taking down whatever opponent was guarding the objective.  
Not wanting to waste much more time, Hayate left the decision up to the two of them. Itachi, in turn, left the decision up to Naruto. Weighing the option, he felt as though he and Itachi could take down anyone they faced. He said they could do it, so Hayate and Yugao got into position within the foliage of the front of the temple as Naruto and Itachi snuck around back again.

Itachi instructed Naruto to stay right on his heels as he prepared to make the leap for the hole. Naruto, of course, didn't see the hole, but he trusted Itachi's judgement. They had to time it right to avoid detection from the patrolling ninja pacing along the back of the temple. As soon as they could make the jump without alarming them, they did.

Landing inside, Itachi and Naruto clung to the ceiling using chakra. They were hidden within the darkness of the corners. Crawling down the halls, Itachi directed them as the entire place was distorted with Genjutsu. To Naruto, it seemed as if Itachi were simply crawling through walls. Feeling the paths he thought he saw, he was astounded that it was solid wall. This was a truly impressive Genjutsu. As they continued along, he could hear the people talking around them, but he couldn't see them. Of course, it would have been easy for Naruto to just dispel its effects on him, but that would take a huge burst of chakra, and it'd give their position away. So, following Itachi was the best option.

They crawled deeper and deeper into the facility going down stairways and descending corridors. By now they had to be at least twenty feet below ground. They hadn't seen or heard a guard for a few minutes now, so Itachi was questionable as to if they were even going the right way. Regardless, they continued until they made it to the very end.

Finally making it, sure enough, their target was there, chained to a wall and covered in various seals and inkling. Naruto signaled to Itachi asking him why they stopped. Itachi told him the direction of the target and the state he was in. After feeling around for anyone else, they figured they were in the clear for Naruto to dispel it. When he did, he saw the man in his mid-twenties strung up on the wall like decoration.

Itachi and Naruto dropped to the ground soundlessly. They headed for the open room before Naruto stopped Itachi from stepping over the threshold. Itachi stepped back as the blonde dug through his pouch. Pulling out a piece of paper, he wrote a seal on it before balling it up. Then he aimed for the center of the room and tossed it in. As soon as he did, seals all around the room began to light up. There were all kinds from alarm seals, explosive tags, and even barriers seals that would shoot up as soon as someone stepped in, trapping them inside with the dangerous concoction of deadly paper and ink.

Itachi signed, 'How long?' Which Naruto replied with, 'Five minutes.' Itachi nodded and turned the other way to keep watch. Naruto went to work drawing up seal that would effectively disable each of the foreign tags in the order that they should be disabled. First, it had to activate the barrier in case the others failed and actually blew. He had to secure the target so he drew up another one that would incase him in a separate barrier just in case. And he also had to send one to bring the barrier down on his command if he was successful in disabling the others. The alarm seals were the most important to bring down. He had to figure that they were triggered by the barrier activating. So, before anything, he had to disrupt those.

Itachi peeked back, checking to see if the blonde was done or not. He watched him working diligently and knew he figured out how to do it by how fast he was scribbling. Naruto got the idea to use very high powered chakra draining seals. Alarming seals like those worked by overloading the seal with chakra, when exposed to foreign chakra, they emitted a very high screeching sound that most any ninja could hear from a mile away. So, with his very high powered chakra draining seals, he'd drain them before they ever got the chance to work.

Now ready, he first successfully disabled the alarming seals. They weren't able to emit even the slightest squeak before they were drained. Then, he threw in his own barrier seal at the target's forehead, coating him in a small barrier. Next he threw in three other seals all simultaneously. Immediately the barrier flew up around the room causing his first seal to burn away. Then, the explosive tags around the room fell from their positions around the room, crumbling before they even hit the ground. When all of the seals were dealt with, Naruto waited for a few seconds more. Nodding, he looked back at Itachi telling him it's done.

Walking over, Itachi stood next to the blonde as he performed hand signs. His last tag fizzed out along with the barrier and the four tags placed around the room. They walked into the room with no issue. Making it to the young man, Naruto again performed a hand sign and his barrier seal fell from his forehead. Now, the challenge was getting this seal off of the man so that he could be removed from the temple.

He knew of this seal, he read about it once when he was just learning fuinjutsu techniques. It was a seal directly linked to the sealers chakra, so anything that happened to it could be felt. It was commonly used within Hozuki Castle, better known as blood prison. If they were to try and sneak him out of there, they'd kill him. The only way to dispel the seal is for the sealer to do so manually or to kill the sealer. To do so, they'd have to alarm him. Naruto devised a plan.

First, he put up some fake alarm and explosive tags. He'd also put up his own barrier seals that would have the added benefit of canceling sound. He'd sneak another mini barrier tag on the back of their objective to keep him protected. With Itachi and him, fighting in such a small room would give them the advantage over whoever it was they had to face.

When Itachi agreed he was ready, Naruto purposely tampered with the man's seal incorrectly, scorching his hand a bit. When he did, he jumped back up to the ceiling, melding into the shadows just as Itachi was. There, they waited for someone to come check on the seal. Five minutes passed and absolutely nothing happened. Itachi asked Naruto if maybe he should try it again. Naruto only shook his head stating, 'someone will come.' So they waited and waited, until finally, they could hear footsteps slowly descending the hall. There was only one set of footsteps which gave them a much more positive approach to the situation. This would be easy.

The footsteps got closer and closer, with each step they were filled with more and more dread. They couldn't describe the feeling, it was like an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Being as experienced as they are, they brushed it off and held their position. Whoever this was would not go down as easily as they had hoped. The footsteps stopped abruptly at the doorstep. Naruto was worried they would just examine the seal from that distance which would ruin their plan. Luckily, they continued in.

Immediately, their blood ran cold. Walking up to the man was none other than the snake Sanin himself, Orochimaru. Chuckling in his psychotic way, he addressed the incapacitated man directly. "Let's see what's wrong with your seal." He said looking at it. Itachi got Naruto's attention, telling him now. Naruto acted quickly throwing the barrier up and dropping down on the man. As if he had known of their plan the entire time, Orochimaru turned around, dodging their attacks and kicking them back into the barrier. Chuckling again, he addressed them. "Minato's lap dogs. Coming to interrupt my little deal huh?" he asked standing in his spot completely unfazed by their presence. "You two look awfully young for ANBU."

Naruto and Itachi stayed crouched in their own positions, ready for the snake to strike. Both of them riddled in fear, but determined to complete the task or at this point survive.

"Ah… I know who you are." He said shocking them. They slowly got into positions to which they could attack him. "The two brats from that Kumo chunin exams huh? Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze." He finished with a chuckle. "Yes, it must be… I can feel the power oozing from your bodies." He watched the two giving hand signs that he didn't know as they change every three years. "Well, the Sharingan is truly a great gift and with a Namikaze, I'm absolutely blessed. Now, who shall I take first?" he asked again with his twisted chuckle.

Naruto and Itachi took the initiative, lunging at him. Naruto was the first to engage him, throwing a right hook that was of course easily dodged, he followed up with a spinning back kick that was blocked, throwing him off balance. Itachi came in next with a kunai in hand, slashing and slicing into nothing but air as the Sanin easily dodged each attack even within such a confined room.

Catching his wrist, Orochimaru kicked him in the chest, plucking the kunai from his hand. Naruto came in next with his black sword drawn, swinging expertly at the man that narrowly dodged each attack. Using the kunai, he parried the attack close to the base of the blade causing it to fly from Naruto's hand. Itachi jumped up, catching the blade in mid-air, and began delivering another series of strikes towards the slippery man. As Itachi kept him on the defense, Naruto went low, kicking at the back of the man's knee, sending him to the ground. Itachi went for a piercing blow to his chest that was blocked when Orochimaru kicked his wrist.

Naruto flew in with a flying axe kick that connected with the bottom of the barrier as Orochimaru rolled away. Itachi went in for a drop kick that missed the snake by an inch when he side stepped, kicking him away. Naruto flipped away from the kunai that soared his way. He drew two of his own and headed back in. He slashed at the man, trying to get some kind of hit, but was blocked at every strike. Orochimaru forcefully opened his guard giving him a vicious kick to the chest, sending him back towards a charging Itachi. Itachi flipped over him, grabbing his hand to stop him from hitting the barrier. He kept charging, going in feigning a right hook, he delivered a back kick to the man's chest. Orochimaru took the kick and dodged the follow up kunai slash.

Itachi then suddenly ducked as Naruto came flying in with a kick that Orochimaru leaned back to avoid. He then jumped, avoiding the slash at his feet from Itachi. In doing so, it opened himself up for Naruto's follow up left back kick that caught him in the face. As he spun with the kick, he dodged Itachi's kunai that came soaring towards his face. Rolling forward, he picked it up and parried Naruto's slash with his own, sending the blonde's kunai flying over his head. Naruto rolled backwards, avoiding the slash at his chest as Itachi jumped over him in a summersault, kicking the air-born kunai down into the right leg of the Snake Sanin who wasn't expecting such a maneuver.

Seeing he was injured, the two ran in delivering blow after blow that was still either blocked or dodged. Orochimaru plucked the kunai from his leg, tossing it at the charging duo that split to avoid it. Itachi slid on his side at the snake that jumped over him, coming back down for a stomp to his chest. He rolled away and Naruto came in to cover his escape with a series of punches that all seemed to miss. Orochimaru jumped back to avoid Itachi's axe kick. Naruto leaped over his partner and went for a kick to the man's chest that slipped past him. Itachi got back up and went for a roundhouse kick that Orochimaru ducked under to avoid. He gave the brunette a very hard kick that sent him back to the other barrier leaving him struggling to stand back to his feet.

Naruto tried for a right hook that slipped past his face, Orochimaru clamped down on his wrist. He ducked under his arm bringing his wrist with him. With a gentle jerk, he snapped his arm with a sickening crack. Using the broken appendage, he swung the blonde around and threw him at his partner who still hadn't made it to his feet.

Chuckling, Orochimaru crossed his arms, staring at the two. "Well done. I commend you for landing a few blows." He said pacing over to the man still chained to the wall. He performed a few hand signs and placed his fingers on the man's back. The barrier Naruto put up for the man faded away. "You two have peaked my interest. For that reason alone. I have decided to spare you." He said going through more hand signs. He then placed his hand on the man's chest and the seal sucked back into his palm. "I'll be seeing you two soon." He said walking back towards the exit. As if it were his own seal, he performed hand signs and the barrier faded. Naruto and Itachi remained there shocked at the unexplainable turn of events.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity for escape, they immediately left the area with the man slung across their shoulders. Walking out of the temple, they noticed the lack of its previous occupants. As if everyone just packed up and left. On their way out, they were joined by a very confused Yugao and Hayate. They explained that everyone just walked out the front door and left. The entire group of ninja just left the temple.  
When asked what happened, the two explained their battle with Orochimaru and his ominous warning afterwards. Yugao and Hayate agreed it was strange that he didn't just kill them or capture them, but just chocked it up to the psychotic man's delusions. With their mission strangely completed, the group left the area to deliver the package.

 **AN: Till next time**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Welcome back. If you have enjoyed the story thus far, I thank you for your support. Now, this is a bit of a shorter chapter, only containing two scenes, as it is merely meant to set up the mood and apparent normality of the village. A few chapters ahead, I'll throw a curve ball in. Just stay tuned and please read the AN at the end of this chapter, as it explains something important for the next few chapters.**

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 3**

Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Minato signed yet another document. He had almost forgotten of this hell over the three year break. It was the one thing he didn't miss about his duty which is ironic as it is most of the job. The past two weeks were anything other than easy for him. The forms continued coming and coming. Document after document was placed before him as soon as he retook office. It was like the workload just grew during his time away.

Of course, it was expected and he did it with a smile. Well, as much of a smile as he could give with the exhaustion from everything that had been happening. Over the two week period, the kids were becoming absolutely unbearable. They wanted to spend time with him every day when he got home. It seemed they became reliant on his presence during their training so losing that constant connection threw their world for a loop. It pained him to tell them no, but he had no choice. One can only take so much stress before they give. Luckily he had Kushina back to her normal self after a week of the revealing day.

That first week after Naruto's departure, Kushina was far from her usual self. A smile on the woman was near nonexistent and for a while, it seemed like it was gone for good. Mito and Menma noticed the change in their mother as well. A week later, they asked Minato if they were getting a divorce, apparently having the same thought as Naruto. At that point, Minato knew he had to speak with her about the way she was effecting the kids. He sat her down and listened to her rant on and on about how worthless she was as a mother and how she shouldn't have been allowed to have children in the first place. He let her pour all that negativity out to him in private as she cried on his shoulder. When she was finished, he told her of his conversation with Naruto. He explained that Naruto was truly not mad about the whole ordeal. When she couldn't accept that, he explained to her the plan he had of organizing a family vacation in a few months. They'd integrate the blonde back into their everyday routine as often as they could. Doing things like inviting him to dinner, asking him for help with the kids training or just spending time with them.

Kushina still wasn't back to her true self, but she had started to cheer up a bit more. She began spending more and more time with her friends she had been so out of touch with. A few days after Minato's plan reveal, she felt it necessary to ask them for advice. To do so, she had to open up to them and run the risk of being judged or possibly ostracized. To her surprise, they were very supportive. Of course disappointed in her, they understood the situation and could tell her regret was real and not just an attempt to save face.

That in itself took a huge load off of Minato's shoulders. Now he was sure his wife was speaking with someone about the ordeal and was getting help. It reassured him it would be alright in the long run. Now, all he was doing was awaiting his son's return which was still stressing him out. He read through the mission parameters and saw that there was more than a small chance they'd run into a few S rank ninja. Their scheduled ETA was two days ago, but underestimating mission completion times was common, even for ANBU commanders.

This was the first time he has known of one of his children actually being out on a mission. When Naruto was born, he had always imagined seeing him off on his first venture out of the village. Having missed that chance, he was giddy to see the boy return from the first one he would see. Still a strange concept that it would be from an ANBU mission, but nevertheless it would be something he'd remember forever. His anxiety only increased as the hours passed by and the day neared its end as the previous one had. He knew not every day was promised and with ANBU, no matter how strong you are, your chances of making it back are still slim.

Watching the footage of their Chunin exams battle is what put his mind at ease. Itachi and Naruto were absolutely amazing. He had never been filled with such pride in his life. Not only seeing his son using his technique, but representing his family name with pride regardless of his mistreatment. He was amazed completely, so much so that he watched it every single day. If that was their strength from just a year ago, he actually feared what they were now, adding to fact their ANBU training. They were possibly nearing the strongest pair in Konoha. That film reassured him that they would be absolutely fine, no matter who the opponent was.  
Well, there were a few exceptions.

Four ANBU agents kneeled before their Kage within the late hours of the night. Minato stood to his feet, finally seeing the one group he was dying to welcome back. "Ah, Squad nine." He said with a bit more glee in his voice than he meant to put. "Welcome back." He quipped looking down at the one he knew was Naruto thanks to the unmistakable blonde hair.

The four stood to their feet, standing at attention, awaiting the order to report. Minato however wasn't even completely aware of the situation yet. His smiling face was too busy admiring his son in his ANBU uniform. The pride in his eyes was visible from miles. "Wow…" he whispered out, a bit louder than he planned.

A cough from the commander woke him up. "Hokage-sama… my apologies, but I believe a report is due."

Minato shook his head, giving a fatherly appraising nod to his son one last time. "Right, I apologize. Please, report." He said sitting back down. Hayate began with explaining their few near run ins with certain S-rank missing ninja heading up to Kusagakure, the events that happened upon their immediate arrival and the barely significant events that happened while Naruto and Itachi were inside. When he reported all he could, he passed the responsibility on to Itachi and Naruto who then explained the events that happened during their venture into the Temple, including their brief, yet brutal battle against the Snake Sanin Orochimaru.

At the mention of the Snake, Minato sent word to retrieve Jiraiya from wherever he was. The group continued giving their report by explaining the events that happened after delivering the man back to his father and them receiving the payment. Their trip home was apparently a lot scarcer with the S-rank nuke ninja than the trip there. With the report done, Jiraiya was ushered into the room in which Naruto and Itachi were again asked to recount their squabble with the man.

"Hmm… it's very uncommon for him to let go such talent…" Jiraiya mused as he leaned against the window ceil. "Did he say anything else?" he asked the boys.

"No sir, Jiraiya-sama." Itachi replied. "Just that he would be seeing us soon."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin in thought. "Could be a threat towards the village." He said at last. "That's the only common ground in which he is sure they will most likely be."

"In that case, I propose you start looking for him instead." Minato said. "If you are to find him, do not engage until you know of his plan."

Jiraiya nodded and leaped out the window to get ready for his venture out of the village once more.

"As for you four, you are dismissed." He said as they bowed, giving a simultaneous shout of 'hai' before making their exit. "Uh, Tora. Stay for a second please." He called out. Naruto stood in his spot waiting for the others to file out. When it was just the two of them, Minato's smile grew tenfold. "Wow. Look at you!" he said grabbing his shoulder's firmly.

Naruto plucked his mask from his face and smiled back as he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, Tou-san. I appreciate your flattery."

"My boy… in ANBU!" he said with a chuckle, grabbing his head with his hand. "I can't believe it! How was the mission? Were you hurt?" he asked suddenly.

"No sir. I was only inflicted with minor injuries from my battle with Orochimaru-san." He said wiggling his now healed arm. "I have some knowledge in medical jutsu, so I was successfully able to heal my injuries as well as the few imposed upon Itachi."

Minato was taken back again, if at all possible, his smile increased again. "You even know medical jutsu?" he asked in amazement. "Gosh son, you're already more adapt at the ninja arts than even me." He complemented.

Naruto's bashful smile only increased from the praise his father was giving him. "Ah, I am not at your level of expertise yet Tou-san. I am merely adequate in various subjects. I have yet to master any." He said knocking himself down a bit.

"Oh, you're too humble son. I mean, you've figured out my Hiraishin. Jiraiya is a seal master and has yet to do that." Minato continued.

"I guess that is true, but I did so with your teaching. If I am correct, Jiraiya is attempting to reproduce the formula from scratch." He stated once again.

"That's right, he is. But, I can't take credit for teaching you…" he said as his smile faltered a bit, but held strong.

Naruto noticed and reassured him. "I read your description of how you engineered the seal by dissecting the formula of the Nidaime, Tobirama Senju, to make it faster and much more proficient in battle. From there, you went on to explain how it works and what you needed to do to perform the technique. All I did was follow your advice."

Minato just smiled bashfully at his modest son. He begrudgingly accepted the praise he didn't feel he deserved, knowing if he refused it the boy would just argue another point. "Well, you're very near surpassing this old man. That's for sure." He said with a chuckle.

"Ah, I'm not too sure about that Tou-san. But, if you say so." Naruto finished.

Minato nodded at his son once more, his eyes still filled with pride. A few seconds of silence settled in as Minato just examined how much he reminded him of himself when he was in ANBU. Of course he was a lot older than Naruto is, but even so, the resemblance was uncanny. "Well." He said standing up straight. "I bet you're tired."

"Yes sir. A few days of tree hopping has taken a lot out of my body. A good night's rest will be more than enough to replenish me fully." Naruto replied.

"Well, don't let me keep you." He said extending his arm. Naruto shook his father's hand with a smile and a nod. "Oh, and if you'd like, your mother would really enjoy having you over for breakfast in the morning." He said as Naruto was walking out.

Slowing his pace, Naruto nodded his head. "Yes, that sounds fantastic." He said nodding on his way out. "What time would be acceptable for my arrival?"

"Oh, uh possibly nine." Minato replied.

Naruto nodded again. "Yes sir. I will attend." He said waving back to the man with a smile. Minato waved back at him with a smile of his own. His heart was racing for some reason. There was a warm feeling in his chest that he couldn't exactly explain. Things were going to be better now. He just knew it.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto walked up the stone path leading to the front door of his old home, his black book in hand hiding his face. He was dressed in his casual wear which was his black pants and shirt, accented by his white Namikaze jacket. Knocking on the door, he heard the girly shout of his sister informing the others 'I got it!' He waited for a few more seconds, listening to her small feet charge towards the door. When it swung open, her eyes looked up into his. "It's Nii-san!" she informed.

"Hello Imouto." Naruto greeted as he stepped inside.

"Are you here to have breakfast with us?" she asked him.

Naruto finished kicking his shoes off his feet. "Yes I am." He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "Kaa-san made a big breakfast today." She said grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the kitchen as if he didn't already know where it was.

The two walked into the room in which Minato and Menma were already at the table waiting to eat. Naruto smiled when they looked his way.

"Hey! Nii-san! I saved you a seat!" Menma yelled out, adamantly patting the seat next to his.

Naruto walked over to him with a smile. "Thank you Otouto." He said. "Good morning Tou-san."

"Morning son." Minato replied as he stood up to shake his hand. "Your mother will be right out, she just stepped back in the kitchen to get the rest of the food." He said as Naruto looked in that direction.

"I think I will help." He said walking into the kitchen. He saw his mother with her back to the door as her hands fidgeted around the counter, unsure of what to bring first. "Good morning Kaa-san." Naruto greeted with a smile.

Kushina yelped lowly as she spun around. "o-Oh. Naruto-kun." She said with a clearly forced smile that was in place to hide her nervousness. To her surprise, the blonde boy that was nearing her height walked over to her and embraced her in a hug.

"Here." He said grabbing her extra pair of pot holders. "Let me help you." He grabbed one of the remaining two dishes she had on the counter and carried it out with Kushina right behind him.

"Ugh, finally the foods here!" Mito shouted in relief. "I'm starving."

Menma, in his ever present need to annoy her quipped, "You're always starving." That's all it took to kick off their first argument of the day. The others as always zoned out as Kushina and Naruto set the last two dishes down. As soon as they took their seats, everyone began serving themselves.

For a while, the actual conversation remained silent as Menma and Mito continued their argument around the bites of food they inhaled. Naruto, Minato, and Kushina just listened on with different expressions. Minato in indifference, Kushina in embarrassment, and Naruto in amusement. Eventually Naruto bud in.

"You two sure do fight a lot don't you?"

Mito was the first to reply. "It's baka Menma's fault. He's always annoying me." She said shoveling another mouthful into her face.

"Yeah right! It's always her who starts it!" he refuted, completely disregarding the blatant fact that it was actually him who started it this time.

Kushina pushed the hair from her face and coughed into her hand to draw attention to herself. "Menma, please use your inside voice." Menma knew it was meant in a much more threatening way than it was said and shrunk back into his seat a little bit.

Naruto noticed and chuckled at the commanding power of his mother. "You know Kaa-san." He said grabbing her attention. "You may just be the scariest mom in Konoha." She smiled bashfully as she knew it was meant as a complement. "Although, some of the Nara children could argue it is in fact Yoshino-sama."

Kushina smiled. "Oh, Yohsino's actually pretty nice if you get to know her."

"Indeed. I have only briefly met her, but during that time, she was looking for her son, Shikamaru, with a frying pan in hand. I am sure what happened when she caught him was far from pleasant." He said smiling. Kushina smiled at that.

Minato chose then to add in. "I'd throw in Mikoto into that wager as well."

"What? Mikoto-chan isn't that bad." Kushina said.

Minato chuckled. "Um, I've heard stories." Kushina chuckled as well. She knew her best friend was a bit fear inducing at times, but it wasn't to an extreme degree. The duration of the family breakfast went by without a hitch after the conversation was started. They spoke of all kinds of things from the old missions Minato and Kushina had been on, to Naruto's first mission. They were for a brief moment a normal family like they were supposed to be. That fact alone is what put Kushina's mind at rest. For the first part of the meal, she was still a bit timid about Naruto's uncaring attitude at his neglect, but now, she was feeling as though they were closer than ever, which of course they were.

The family event came to an end when Minato finally had to head to work, leaving Kushina and the kids at the house. With their new found energy from the meal, they begged Kushina to let them show Naruto how strong they had gotten. Kushina at first denied the request, explaining to them that Naruto was too tired from the long two week mission he had just come back from, but Naruto told her it was fine.

 **-break-**

Now, the three stood in the backyard. Kushina sat on the porch as she watched Menma and Mito face off against their older brother who, much as Kakashi often did to them, pulled out a book to read as a way to infuriate them. She chuckled at their frustrated expressions, finding it cute that they still let it get to them. Their teamwork was clearly present in an attempt at least as Mito went around Naruto so that they could attack him from different directions.

"Don't underestimate us Nii-san!" yelled Menma as he threw a kunai his way charging in behind it. Without looking up, Naruto smiled and plucked the kunai out of the air with ease. Tossing it over his shoulder, he could hear Mito jump out of the way.

Catching Menma's wild haymaker, Naruto shifted his body over slightly, causing the blonde to sail over his shoulder, crashing into his sister. "Ugh! Menma-baka! Get out of my way!" she yelled pushing him over as she charged the blonde with his back to her. She went for a roundhouse kick to his face from the back that he simply put his free hand up to block. Catching her ankle, he yanked her gently as she flipped to stay up right.

Menma went in for a drop kick that Naruto stepped out of the way of. Sadly for Menma, Mito had been going for an axe kick that he didn't see. Her heel came crashing down on his chest. "Ah! Quit hitting me! You idiot!" he yelled at her.

"Then get out of the way!" she yelled back, flipping to her feet and squaring off against Naruto in her taijutsu stance. Naruto just kept reading his book. When Mito charged, she pulled a kunai midway to her target. Naruto, still without looking, dodged each of her attacks as he poked at the back of her hand with taps she found to be completely ineffective. That is until her Kunai slipped from her hand and she instead tried to punch him in his face. Naruto didn't dodge it. In doing so, she jammed three of her fingers. Jumping back, she finally noticed her hand, for some unknown reason, refused to close.

Menma came in next with a Rasengan at full blast. Naruto awaited the attack and leaned slightly out of the way, delivering a jab towards Menma's bicep. Instantly, the ball of chakra dispersed and he was sent stumbling forward. As he tried to catch himself, he realized only his left arm would move. His right just wouldn't extend, in fact he couldn't even feel it anymore.

He looked over at Mito who was still cradling her unresponsive hand. Without saying anything, both of them knew the other was done, and so did Naruto. "You two are not bad at all. Individually you could outclass most anyone in your class, but your teamwork is poor. So poor, I doubt you'd be able to function properly on a battle field in any situation." They both looked down in shame. "Konoha operates mainly on teamwork. It will be your most valuable skill when it's time to become active ninja."

"He is right you two. Your father has told you this as well before." Kushina added from the side. "Hearing it from Naruto should drive that point home."

"Yes Kaa-san." The two replied simultaneously.

The group was surprised when an ANBU agent dropped down next to Naruto. He whispered something into his ear in which Naruto nodded at. When the man shunshinned away, Naruto addressed the others. "It would seem I have been requested elsewhere." He said as he walked up grabbing onto Mito's hand and Menma's shoulder. Green chakra incased his hands. When it died out, the two rolled out their respective injuries in amazement, as they could now move them again.

Naruto walked back towards the porch to bid his mother a good day. "Thank you Kaa-san for the amazing breakfast. It was as great as I had remembered it." He embracing her in a hug.

"Thank you, Naruto. You're always welcome to join us… whenever you want to." She replied as he nodded with a smile. Waving on his way out, he left the compound to whatever it was he was called to. Leaving Kushina, Mito and Menma to continue their training with a new plan. Focus on teamwork.

* * *

Hours later, the night sky swallowed the remnants of Konoha's daily activity, handing the reins over to the night life of bar hopping or late night dinner dates. It was around this time that Naruto and Itachi were walking out of the ANBU HQ. A whole day spent listening to briefing after briefing, the two were exhausted and hungry. Their feet brought them towards the side of town that held many of the family friendly restaurants and stands.

They were still discussing the topics they were briefed on over the hour long meeting. It was a mandatory, last minute, event that was originally just to congratulate and send off the newly retired ANBU Captain, Kenji Horo. The man was handing down the title to another one of their superior officers, and a former student of his, Commander Omaru Yosha. From there, the speaker decided then would be the best time to not only refresh the group on the regulations set by Shikaku Nara during his brief time as acting Hokage, but also inform them of the regulations the Yondaime had added to the mix. Naruto wondered the entire time just how long his father had been working on such a thing.

With all of that nonsense out of the way, the two boys were on their way to enjoy themselves a nice meal somewhere. They just couldn't decide where. In their venture to find a place suitable enough to appease their immense hunger, they ran into someone that Itachi immediately wished they had not.

"Hey Itachi-kun." A girl with black hair and eyes to match said as she and a man resembling her perfectly walked over towards the duo. "Hello, Naruto-san."

"Izumi. Hello." Naruto quipped with a friendly smile that held a hint of devious intent that Itachi noticed. "What a wonderful surprise."

Itachi saw the gleam in the blonde's eyes from the side of his own, but decided not to react, as doing so may actually cause the blonde to do something Itachi didn't want. "Hello, Izumi-chan, Komiu-san." He said addressing her and her father.

"Hello to you two as well, Itachi and Naruto." The man said with a smile.

"What are you two doing out so late?" Itachi asked curiously.

Izumi looked a little hurt by the question for some reason. "w-Well, it's my birthday and all, so Tou-san was teaching me a new technique…"

Itachi stiffened, almost unnoticeably at the mention of the girl's birthday. He had completely forgotten about it with the day's chaotic events. Trying to play it with indifference, he simply nodded, hoping no one noticed his subtle reaction. Of course, he knew for a fact one person did without a doubt.

"Well." Naruto said, breaking the awkward silence that settled following Itachi's silent reply. "I wish you a happy birthday. I must apologize, as I had almost completely forgotten about the joyous occasion this morning as we were heading to our meeting. Almost of course, as Itachi was there to bug me about it the whole way through." He said covering for his friend flawlessly.

Itachi mentally thanked his friend for being so aware and helpful. He watched as Izumi's eyes lit up in happiness as her father laughed. He had no words as he simply smiled and accepted the story Naruto had made for his cover up.

"Komiu-sama. May I ask of you the honor of having your daughter join us for dinner tonight, as a way of both making it up to Izumi and repaying Itachi for reminding me?" Naruto asked with his ever present intellectual speech pattern.

Komiu looked at Izumi's pleading eyes and then at the faces of the two boys. "Well, if it were anyone else, I'd say no. But, with Itachi and the son of the Yondaime, I am sure she is in good hands." He said with a nod. "You kids have fun." With that said he walked off, leaving the three kids standing in the street, two of them in embarrassment, and the other in wonder.

 **-break-**

They all sat in a booth at the Akimichi bar and grill. Naruto sat on one side as Izumi and Itachi sat on the other, trying their hardest to avoid each other's eye contact. Naruto was once again stuck in the book Itachi had bought for him, and Itachi was at that moment cursing the book for capturing the blonde's attention so intently. It was a bit of a paradox, as when it came to Naruto, he could get any conversation going with ease, but with his limited human interaction outside of books, he knew very little on what questions or topics were appropriate for certain situations.

His current fear was that the blonde would start talking and he'd ask Izumi something stupid that would pit them as a couple. A fear he wouldn't admit was that he'd ask that question and she'd be speaking of someone else when she answered. Glancing over at her hand that was laid out on the table, he noticed a few scorch marks around her fingers. He smiled as he immediately knew the technique she had been working on as he had the same injuries at one time.

To his satisfaction and discomfort, the food finally arrived. The discomfort came as he knew Naruto's table etiquette would prevent him from reading during a meal. Reading at the table was no crime, but reading once the food arrived was taboo.

When the waitress passed out the individual plates and took her leave, the table was covered in silence. The only sound coming from the clanking of their shifting glasses and the chattering of the other patrons. Naruto hadn't noticed as he was stuck on a very good part in his book. The silence was incredibly uncomfortable and he could just sense their collective discomfort. With his extensive knowledge of these circumstances, he planned for a joke. Seeing as Itachi was the table's common ground, he'd use him as the focal point.

"So, Izumi-san." He began. "You are finally twelve years of age?"

Izumi swallowed the food in her mouth so that she could answer. Nodding her head and covering her mouth to prevent excess food from flying out, "Yes I am." She said, glad someone had finally said something.

"Well, that just leaves little Itachi here, huh?" he said nudging at the boys age receiving a chuckle from Izumi.

Itachi executed the Uchiha infamous 'hn' at the jab. "For just three more weeks." He argued.

"Aw, you're still a baby for three more weeks." Izumi added, receiving a chuckle from the blonde across the table and a deadpan look from the brunette.

"I appear to be the most mature at this table." He said with a face of indifference, but they could both tell there was a hint of amusement or relief in his voice. "Besides, you two are merely a few months older than me." He said.

"Astute observation." Naruto remarked. "I am only joking. You will get it when you are older." He said as he and Izumi cackled up at Itachi's look of annoyance.

As he has been doing more and more recently, Naruto successfully broke the tense silence that the table was drenched in upon their arrival. Then, when everything got rolling and he finished his meal, he pulled out his book and simply listened to the two flirt with each other for the next hour or two.

He found it to be something unique to see up close. The blossoming of love was being played out before his eyes. In a book he read, the author explained his own theory of the concept of love as being ' _our human minds becoming over-infatuated with another person to a degree that is dangerous in a self-implosion stand point._ ' Naruto took that as saying falling in love was the equivalent of dooming yourself to death. For, if you fell in love with someone weaker and you lose them, your judgement is clouded and you are no longer who you were as you fight for one thing and one thing only. Vengeance.

Looking at the two from where he was sitting, Naruto felt it was a possibility that seemed to present itself at this very moment. There was a piece of him that didn't want their relationship to flourish, not out of jealousy, strictly for the safety of his best friend. He didn't have too many real connections in this world, so this was one he couldn't lose.

Having Itachi for a friend is what fed Naruto's belief that any man could be more than the selfish and cruel creatures he's seen in his life. For, Itachi is a killer. Not a murder, just a man following orders, but a killer none the less. For a boy who has taken countless lives to retain the pieces of him that keep him human, Naruto was convinced that Itachi was a light within this dim world he's come accustomed to. Itachi inspired him to see through the pain and sorrow and to look towards the future. The future being the next generation.

Before meeting Itachi, Naruto was a hateful individual. Not verbally, but he was very pessimistic in his way of thinking. Of course, for a lonely little boy, it was an inevitable outcome. Then he met the boy without a smile, but with lots of love. For a while, they butt heads with their clashing ideals, but eventually, Naruto was shown something so beautiful, his heart was touched with a grip of warmth he hadn't felt in years. A new way of viewing the shitty things that happened on a daily basis.

Ironically, it was a few days after their first kill, the day in which he believed Itachi would see his views, and realize how cruel and vicious human beings are. Something he himself had read in his books. To his surprise, while following his partner, he watched him interact with people as if nothing had happened. He expected Itachi to seclude himself much as he had the first day. He expected him to stray far away from family, for fear of them witnessing the monster he had become.

In his child like mind, he believed Itachi was just naïve to the core. He felt that he just didn't understand what it was he had done. When he got the chance, he approached him with a heated argument, trying to convince him he was a monster like he felt himself. All Itachi said was that he was not. When he stood up and began walking away, Naruto was almost compelled to follow him.

When they finally stopped, they were standing on a cliff overlooking the woods. Naruto was confused to the reason they were up there. He just watched as the brunette stared out at nothing. He asked him what it was they were supposed to be looking for, but Itachi just told him, "… it's beautiful isn't it?"

Naruto tried to see what it was he was talking about, but all he saw were scarred up trees and people yelling at each other. When he spoke on it, Itachi only smiled and said, "You only see what you wish to. But, it is worth saying that you know what ugly looks like… therefore you must know beauty as well…" With those wise words, he turned and walked away, leaving the blonde standing at the top of that cliff seeing things a lot clearer than he had just a few moments ago. It's like saying there can't truly be darkness if there is no light to compare it to.

Those words got him thinking over everything he had come to hate. He hated the people that fought each other, but then he remembered seeing people that were in love, and how happy they were. He hated seeing people die, but he remembered when Mito and Menma were born. He hated his family for leaving him all alone, but he remembered the amazing times they had in the past. He was brought to his own conclusion about the concept of mankind. We hate something only when we once loved it dearly. And if you once loved something dearly, forgiveness is as easy as remembering what you loved before.

Naruto feared for his friend, but at the same time couldn't have been happier. For once, he was getting to see his friend genuinely, truly happy. Something he has noticed was becoming more and more scarce. There was another book he read in which the author gave his own description of love as ' _the emotional embodiment of peak human strength. Yet, at the same time, our greatest weakness. A paradox in the truest sense._ '

In both cases, he noticed the outcome of death. Never directly said, but implied both times. Death was inevitable, and in the line of work that he was accustomed to, he knew better than most that death effects the living more so than the dead. But, over the time spent with the two in less awkward situations, he became close to Izumi as well. So, the fear of one of their deaths became a lot more worrying.

Breaking him from his thoughts was a head of silver hair poking out at a booth a few away from theirs. Thinking it was Kakashi, he almost called out to the man. When the guy stood to his feet it wasn't him. Glad he dodged that awkward conversation, he went back to reading. Again, interrupting his musing was Izumi standing to her feet. "It's getting late. I better get home." She waved to the two boys with a smile. "Thank you guys so much. This was the most fun I've had all day."

Naruto nodded at her with a smile. Itachi however stood to his feet as well. "I will walk you home." He said as they bid Naruto a good night. Naruto returned the gesture and headed home himself. He couldn't wait to see what their relationship developed into. Something exquisitely dangerous he presumed.

 **AN: This chapter, as previously stated was merely a set up chapter to explain the fact that things are beginning to improve for the ninja of Konoha. Not much action, I know, but believe me, it's coming. A warning for the story as a whole, I plan on using the hell out of time-skips. That being said, it is something that will be used adamantly in the next chapter. The official plan for one of the subplots of this story makes it to where I need one of the characters to be a little older. As I am not one for filler chapters, which ironically is what this one is, I will use time skips and simply explain important details that happen during the missing time period.**

 **Believe me, as an adamant reader of fanfiction myself, I know all too well how easy it is to lose interest in a story due to chapters such as this.**

 **And, I urge you to guess my favorite fictional character if you can within the next two chapters. After that it will be pretty much revealed. Anyways! Till next time…**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Welcome back readers. Now, if you actually read the AN at the end of the previous chapter, then you should know to expect a few time-skips within this chapter alone. True to my word, there are a few. And I assure you, if I skipped to something that seemed insignificant just to skip again, there is a reason. I am a man that enjoys sticking to the plot as strictly as I can… That's a lie, I am constantly side tracked. But, this story, I am combing through each of my chapters and deleting useless things. In all honesty, most of this chapter seems like I'm rushing the story, but I'm not. For, the true purpose of this story is centered around Naruto… only Naruto. That being said, enjoy the rest of the story.**

 **The first time-skip is immediately by the way. I will be putting Time skips in parenthesis.**

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 4**

(2 years later)

Naruto, now fourteen, stood outside the academy with his hands in his pockets. His appearance hadn't changed much over the past two years. It hadn't changed at all actually. The only key differences being his gain in height and the loss of his once favorite jacket. He simply grew out of it, so he gave it to Minato to one day give to Menma when he could fit it. Other than that, nothing had changed. His hair was still the same with the right side still shaven down more so than the rest. He still wore his black T-shirt and ANBU pants with black sandals.

An addition to his ever present look however was the necklace he wore that brandished the Uzumaki spiral symbol, a gift from his mother for his recent birthday a few months back. You could argue another addition was the new book he had shoved into his face. After so many years of reading and rereading the one he received from his friend all those years ago, people had come to associate it with his apparel. This book was green.

As he read his new novel, he noticed the parents and other adult commoners beginning to chatter and mutter among themselves in awe. Looking to see what the commotion was, he turned to see Itachi walking his way. The brunette hadn't changed in the slightest. He still wore the same Uchiha high collared shirt with his ANBU pants and sandals, and he still maintained that ponytail of his. His fame within the village was the only thing that altered.

Itachi became the true essence of what it meant to be a Konoha shinobi. He was recognized publicly throughout the village for his accomplishment of making ANBU commander at the ripe age of thirteen, just a few months ago. Ever since, his popularity was rivalling that of the Hokage himself, which is a position most people said he was close to reaching.

"Hello Naruto." Itachi said, leaning against the wall next to the blonde as he waved at the group of parents waiting on their children to get out.

"Hello to you as well, Itachi." Naruto replied, not looking up from his book. "Here for Sasuke?"

"Yes. My mother is attending Yoshino-sama's baby shower as well." He replied as the blonde nodded. That was the reason he was going to be taking Mito and Menma for the remainder of the day. "What do you have planned for them?" Itachi asked.

Naruto looked up in thought. "I am unsure. I imagined a bit of training and possibly something to eat a little later."

"Would you mind us joining? Izumi and I are watching over Sasuke for the day as well."

Naruto nodded. "Of course. I must confess, I was not too interested in trying to entertain Mito and Menma all day anyways. Not alone that is." Itachi chuckled at that, understanding completely.

With a resonating slam, the doors of the Academy swung open. Kid after kid funneled out to their waiting parents or began their journey home with their friends. All of course pausing at the spectacle that was Itachi Uchiha. Eventually, the class holding all of the clan children was finally released.

Sasuke was one of the first kids out. After greeting Naruto, Itachi said they were going to go on ahead and pick up Izumi and that they'd meet up later. And there, Naruto waited with his book in hand, unaware of the leering eyes upon his form. Eventually Mito and Menma came out and immediately began explaining their day down to the minor details. Naruto just listened in false interest all the way back to the Namikaze compound.

When they arrived, Naruto began their training by having them do their normal warm up routine while he read his book. When they finished, he instructed them to work on their chakra control by performing the tree climbing exercise as they balanced a leaf on their forehead simultaneously. They were of course disappointed as they were hoping for something a bit more deadly. Or at least new.

To get them to work twice as hard, he told them if they worked hard enough, he would show them a technique so amazing that it could beat anyone within seconds. He was of course blowing smoke, but they didn't have to know that. It did have the desired effect of further motivating them, as they pushed themselves twice as hard as they would have.

When all that was said and done, they were finally joined by Itachi, Izumi, and Sasuke. "Ok guys." Naruto said dropping off of the tree he was resting in. "I think that's about enough training."

"What!?" Menma yelled still out of breath. "What about our super amazing technique!?"

Naruto looked at Itachi in amusement. "Oh yeah, that. Well, that is for another day. You guys are too tired now. Besides, we're gonna go eat."

"What's the technique?" Sasuke asked Itachi in a low whisper. Itachi just chuckled, never giving a formal answer.

"Naruto-nii, are you gonna take us to the party?" Mito asked. Naruto just looked at her in questioning. "It's Ino's birthday, they're having it at the Akimichi grill house." She informed him.

"No! I don't want to go to that!" Menma protested. "It's nothing but a bunch of stupid girls!"

"You're stupid!" Mito yelled back kicking off a fresh back and forth verbal fight between the two that the others ignored.

Naruto sighed and looked over to Sasuke to break the tie. "What do you think, Sasuke? Would you like to go to the party or would you rather us go elsewhere to eat?"

Sasuke, at first, was going to say no, but the look Mito gave him told him she'd be heartbroken if he did. He didn't care for her much, but he'd rather not make a girl cry. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. Maybe we will see some of our friends there too." He said directing that last sentence at Menma who crossed his arms in defeat. And from there, the group headed out to the Akimichi grill house.

 **-break-**

The 'happy birthday' song just ended when the group finally made it. Cake was being served and they saw everyone else had probably already eaten. "Well." Naruto said. "We could just get a table and order then."

"But, Nii-san." Mito said looking up at him. "I want cake."

"You have not eaten yet Imouto. It would be unwise t-.."

"Oh come on Naruto." Itachi said, "Just let them eat cake for dinner."

Naruto looked down at Mito's pleading eyes and at Menma who, despite trying to stay mad, was looking over at the huge cake in hunger. "I suppose it would not be so bad." He said sending them off. The three ran into the party section in which one of the mom's helping handed them a party hat and a plate so that they could get their slice.

Naruto and the Uchiha couple found a seat towards the back of the restaurant. Naruto sat with his back to the wall as to keep an eye on his two siblings. Hard to do with the book now shoved into his face. Itachi and Izumi were having their own conversation over something he had no interest or knowledge in, so he just continued reading. Every now and then, he'd glance up to make sure everything was still ok. A few times, he had thought he saw Kakashi again, but couldn't get a good enough look.

The night's events went on as they usually did with Naruto joining in the conversation as they ate their food and then seamlessly melding into his book, leaving the two once again to talk of their own things in virtual privacy. A few minutes went by and Naruto peeked over to the party again, wondering when it was going to be over. He had assumed it would be over rather quickly upon their tardy arrival, but they were still going at it.

Sticking his nose back into his book, he continued reading until he finally heard the sound of child footsteps jogging towards their table. Looking up, he was greeted to the sight of Mito and another girl jogging up to the table with the Hyuga heiress being dragged along as well.

"Naruto-nii!" Mito yelled as she and the other two girls stood at their table. Itachi and Izumi stopped their conversation to watch the spectacle. "I want you to meet my friends!" she said happily as Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I always tell you to meet them, but you're always 'too busy'." She said mimicking his voice to the best of her ability.

Naruto closed his book with an amused expression. "Well, ok then." He said sitting straighter in his seat.

The pink haired girl was the first to respond. "I'm Sakura Haruno." She said extending her hand to the blonde. "It's nice to meet you. I hope you're better than that baka Menma." She said with a grimace.

Naruto smiled at the girl. "It is lovely to meet you Sakura-san. I am Naruto." He said, disregarding her remark about his brother, chocking it up to her possibly being one of Menma's pranking victims.

With that said, the group sat in silence, until Mito finally lost her patience. "Ugh! Come on Hinata. He won't bite." She said. Hinata slowly crept out from behind the red head.

"i-I'm.. Hinata… Hyuga." She said saying her last name so low it was almost inaudible.

Naruto extended his hand to her as well, which she took timidly. "It is an honor to meet you, Hinata-san." Naruto said with a reassuring smile that made her face heat up.

"There." Said Mito with a smile. "Now you know all my friends. Except for Ino. She went to the bathroom." She said craning her head around the room, trying to spot the blond. When she did, she quickly flagged her down. "Ino! Over here!" The whole group looked her way for a brief second before Mito began talking again. Ino's heart was racing sporadically as she made her way over to the table much more Hinata like than she was comfortable with. On her way, she quickly ripped the birthday hat off of her head, throwing it onto some nearby table as she fixed her hair.

When she finally made it over, she waited for Mito to finish whatever rant she was on as she discretely examined the boy that melted her confidence down without even knowing it. His eyes were locked onto Mito with a soft smile that she couldn't help but stare at.

"And this," Mito began, breaking her from her daze. "is Ino. Aka, the birthday girl."

Pulling her hand from behind her back for the briefest of waves, not directed at any of the tables occupants, she whispered a quick, "h-Hey.." that was so out of character for her, Mito looked at her strangely.

"Oh, so, you're the birthday girl?" Izumi asked in apparent excitement in which Ino nodded at. "That's so cute." She said, gushing at the innocence of the blonde. In other words, demeaning her age considerably. "How old are you?"

Clearing her throat so that she didn't stutter, she answered. "ten…"

"Well, happy birthday." Izumi said kindly with a smile.

"I too wish you a happy birthday." Itachi added. Ino threw the two a quick 'thank you' as she tucked her bang behind her ear.

"Ino." Said Mito grabbing her attention. She looked over at her seeing she was gesturing towards Naruto. "This is my brother Naruto."

Naruto was already reaching forward to shake the girls hand, "It is very nice to.." his statement stopped there as his nearly empty cup of water was now running down his leg, having been knocked down by the very shaky handed girl.

"Oh no!" Ino said in worry. "I am so sorry!" Luckily the cup wasn't full so there wasn't much of it.

Naruto simply waved her off. "It is quite alright. It was only a bit of water. No harm done." He said extending his hand again. Ino reached a lot more gently this time as to not embarrass herself further. "I wish you a very happy birthday Ino-san. If I am not mistaken, it would seem your father is preparing to leave." He said giving her an escape.

She looked over to see him paying the bill, quickly she bid the group bye as a whole and ran for him. Mito just raised her eyebrow at the strange occurrence. She had never seen the blonde act like that. "Huh… weird…" she whispered to herself.

* * *

(3 years later)

Perched in a tree, an ANBU member looked into the window of a secluded house. The rain above doing well at muffling the screaming from within. His form was completely hidden within the shadow of the top of the tree above him, only being illuminated briefly by the flashes of lightning that struck sporadically. In his hand, his black sword held in a reverse grip. The ANBU watched the men guarding the house walk along a very strict pattern, not bothered by the rain in the slightest. Their weapons lazily held at the ready for anyone foolish enough to attack.

They had no idea that their death was a mere ten feet away, shifting his feet ready to pounce. When he did, they were gone before they even knew it. He went for the nearest guy first, slicing his throat before grabbing his body, laying him down gently. Then, he jumped up to the ledge the other was on. The guard was a ways away when he turned around. It was right at that moment that a flash of lightning hit, illuminating the ANBU's form and the sword flying at his head for a brief second. The very last thing he would see.

The ANBU ran by, ripping his sword from the man's head before jumping feet first into the tiny window that he barely made it through. When he landed, he realized how lucky he was as a guard had just passed by not five seconds before he jumped in and was already walking away. He snuck up behind him and snapped his neck in one clean motion. Shoving the body into the nearby closet, he continued on silently.

He could hear a man screaming from the basement of the mansion. He made his way towards it, killing two more guards on his way. Suddenly, he heard the screaming man abruptly stop. Having the target located, he continued on, gently opening the door. Once inside, he saw a brown haired man in a lab coat, cleaning materials from the last experiment he was undergoing. He silently walked in.

When the doctor reached over to set his scalpel down on the wooden nightstand, his hand was impaled by a kunai, nailing him to the surface, electing a scream of pain from him. "AH! Ah!" The man turned around and plucked the blade from his hand as he scrambled around the table. He pulled a tag out and wrapped it around the kunai, there was a very small hole at the top of the ceiling that led outside. Aiming right, he threw it as hard as he could.

To his horror, it was plucked out the air. Horror because it was an explosive tag meant to alert his unknowingly dead gaurds. He watched as the ANBU held the blade in his hand, it briefly emitted a blue light before the man dropped it carelessly to the ground. "Yako Toshi, you have been sentenced to death by the council of Konoha for the abduction and murder of over one hundred individuals taking residence within the borders of the land of fire." With that said, the black blade ended the pleas of the man with a quick slash that cleanly removed his head from the rest of his body.

With his mission completed, the ANBU left the mansion and took to the trees, leaving no trace of him being there other than a few dead bodies that were set aflame.

 **-break-**

Hours later, the ANBU agent stood in front of his locker, stripping his armor from his body. The last thing he removed was his mask. He now stood in his street clothes. A set that hadn't changed since he was young. Black T-shirt, black pants, and black sandals with his necklace dangling in the middle of his chest. Exhaustion in his eyes and a soar body to go along with it, he shut his locker.

Walking out of the locker room, the seventeen year old trudged through the grey hall down until he reached the head commander's quarters where he was told to go when he returned. Wordlessly, he knocked on the door awaiting the command to enter. When the voice called out to him, he opened the door and slowly walked in. He took a seat in the chair opposite the man across the desk. A bald man with coal black eyes, Captain Yosha, pierced into his own blues with a false bravado that made a fair attempt at masking his sympathy.

"Namikaze…" he began, stopping as he lost the words he was prepared to say, losing himself in the cold seas in the teen's eyes. "I uh… how are you doing?" he asked suddenly.

The blonde had absolutely no movement, not a single blink. "I am well, Captain Yosha." He replied with slight fluctuations in his tone. His lack of physical expression making it a much creepier response than it was meant to be. "How are you?"

The Captain looked at him in curiosity, not even attempting to hide the fact that he didn't believe him. "I'm uh… I'm fine. Naruto, the reason you are here today, is because a few of your comrades have expressed their worry when working with you… They say you've become more reckless than you usually are…"

Naruto held his motionless visage. "What a strange grievance." He remarked.

"Well, until you have seen Inoichi-san for evaluation, I am afraid I must place you on leave." Captain Yosha said, noticing the very slight reaction of the blonde's jaw clenching up. "Once you are cleared in your evaluation, you may return to service. Please turn in your mask." He finished as he began filling out documents, accenting the fact that the conversation was not up for debate.

Naruto stared at the wall in thought for a few more seconds. Standing up, he pulled his mask from his back pouch and set it down onto his desk. "I bid you a good day, Captain Yosha." He said as he turned to leave receiving only a grunt of confirmation.

 **-break-**

Walking through the street, he looked up into the shower of the rain above him. Shutting his eyes to protect them from the falling droplets. Hands in his pockets and no destination in mind, he strolled along in silence. Nothing to distract himself. It was another day of feeling absolutely exhausted. Feeling undeniably drained, yet being unable to keep himself from doing something, anything that could cloud his mind.

The past three years were the most eventful years of his life. It was expected however as his family was very unique. Mito and Menma becoming Genin last year seemed to be where it started. They were thrown on a team with Sasuke of course, and were handed over to Kakashi. Their rookie class became renowned among the village just a few months ago due to their performance within the Chunin exams. The event went off without a hitch and came down, surprisingly, to some extremely great matches during the semifinals. Eventually, his brother claimed victory over the entire competition.

Aside from that, the kids always seemed to find themselves in some very interesting altercations. From fending off A-rank ninja, to saving important individuals, the list went on and on.

Life went on and on, no matter what happened, it went on and on. Through the years, Naruto has known many emotions and has experienced them himself. He's felt fear, anger, joy, content, happiness… but, the one thing he lacked to a very extreme degree was love. It had been absent within his heart as he watched those around him become ensnared in it. Seeing Itachi and Izumi moving in together, watching as his younger brother slowly fell in love with the pink haired girl he had met all those years ago. Even the budding romance of Sasuke and Mito.

To Naruto, it seemed as though love was all around, yet out of his reach. For he was always around people that overshadowed him. Whether it be Itachi, Menma, or even his father who seemed to just refuse to age. He had come to terms with it a long time ago. He was jealous, not of their significant others specifically, but of the admiration they received. He was just as accomplished as anyone, yet he wasn't seen, wasn't heard, he wasn't even really noticed. It was just like before. His life was on a constant cycle of never being someone's main priority or focus. It was a selfish desire he had a few years back, when there weren't any other problems to focus on.

That was something he found strange. Why is it that certain things become problems due to a simple lack of conflict? When he was in his pessimistic state of mind, his problems were a lot deeper than a simple lack of affection. But, as soon as he made peace with that part of himself, small things became the things he obsessed on. It's almost as if we, as human beings, thrive on struggle more so than anything. It was a possible theory that would explain most of what we do. We search for love, because love ultimately and eventually incites conflict in some way. We go to war in hopes of being alive long enough to tell our story. All for the sake of proving our own worth by making it through more traumatizing experiences than any other. As if that would somehow make you a better person than whoever it is you try and talk down on.

A crazy theory he had of course, but it was something that was definitely a possibility. Regardless, he craved that level of human interaction more so than anything. He wanted to be important to someone in some way. He wanted the villagers to admire him the way they did Itachi. He made it to ANBU at 11 years old too, so where was his congratulations? He wanted to be respected like Menma, I mean, they shared the same last name. The same resemblance to the man they associated him with, why wasn't he treated like a celebrity? Was he wrong for feeling that way?

If you had asked him a few months ago, the answer would have been a resounding yes. It was completely wrong to be so selfish. The optimistic views instilled in him by his friend contorted his mind into some kind of new found naivety that he doubted he ever had to begin with. Itachi's words to him that day were misinterpreted. To Naruto, Itachi was saying to always look towards the positive side of things instead of focusing on the negative. After a few weeks of practicing the new tactic, it became second nature. It became a part of his mentality altogether.

Now he knew, Itachi wasn't saying to only focus on the positive. He was saying to look towards the positive while being aware of the negative. Naruto just cut the latter off completely, blinding himself from the world around him. But, just like the character in his new book, the world just seemed to laugh at him.

His new book explained his situation fairly well. It was just a continuous series of bad events that broke him down mentally and physically. A constant stream of misfortune that seemed too chronological to be random. The world was punishing him for something he had never done. He didn't understand why, or what to do because of it. The premise of the book involved the antagonist explaining how easily it is for a sane man to end up just like him. How easy it is for one to lose their mind. It was a detective novel of course that involved the protagonist searching high and low for the insane man, but for some reason, the antagonist stole the story.

It was a dark book that discussed a lot of topics going on in today's society and the great wars of the past. Naruto had read it at least a hundred times through since he got it. He was reading it right now in fact, as he memorized every line of every page. A rare find for him, he fell in love with the story.

Stopping at last, he was in front of the interrogation building, which is where the psychological evaluations were also underwent. He trudged into the building, not worried about the wet state of his clothes as he noticed the ground was wet regardless. He walked through the building until he reached the office of the head psychiatric doctor, Inoichi Yamanaka. He knocked on the door. Hearing the muffled 'enter' from inside, he opened the door.

Inoichi was finishing paper work, until he glanced up quickly to see the blonde. "Ah, Naruto." He said finishing the document. Naruto took a seat in the chair in front of his desk, just as he had earlier that morning, he waited patiently, motionlessly. When Inoichi finally set his paperwork aside, he sat up straighter in his seat with his fingers interlocked on the desk in front of him. "I was not expecting to see you so soon."

"Hello Inoichi-san." Naruto greeted the man. Still that false fluctuation riddling his voice that just did not go well with the frozen look he displayed.

Inoichi intently examined the boy trying to see some physical indicators that would possibly interfere with the examination. He didn't have to look far, as his eyes said it all. It looked as if he hadn't slept in days. Trying to see if maybe the boy just wanted to speak of something else before he sent him on his way, Inoichi began. "So, what can I help you with?"

"I was told to receive an evaluation from yourself Inoichi-san. A few of my co-workers fear I am unfit to serve." He explained.

Inoichi just watched him attentively. His eyes traveled his form noting all of the small signs that just screamed that the kid was not right. Nodding his head slowly, Inoichi pulled his documents back to the center of his desk. "Well, I am very sorry to say, but I cannot give you a proper evaluation. You are too tired for it to be an accurate assumption. What do you say you come back next week, and we'll do it then?"

"I am fine Inoichi-san." Naruto said in hopes of changing his mind.

Inoichi nodded as he went back to signing documents. "I am sure. We'll find out next week."

* * *

Days later, he laid in his bedroom, staring at his ceiling from the surface of his bed. The last few days melded together becoming essentially the same day. He hadn't left his apartment since leaving Inoichi's office that night. There was nowhere to go. No one to see. He refused to walk through the streets anymore as all that awaited him were side glances and chatter that he just knew were about him. The new pariah of the village he was. All he had left was his families backing which wasn't much when they were all gone.

Jiraiya and Kushina took Mito and Menma on a training trip for an undetermined period of time. They had been gone for a few months now, missing the events that happened since. What was it that happened? Well, the deaths of Itachi and Izumi Uchiha of course. It was a true tragic story that had a twisted ending. Naruto couldn't explain it to anyone, because no one believed him. All they 'knew' was that he killed them, but they didn't know the story.

The true story, in a condensed version, is that Izumi Uchiha was captured by a man that had given them fair warning before. Orochimaru captured the girl while she was out on a mission with her team. When the others returned with the news, Naruto was out on a mission of his own. By the time he got back, Itachi had already gone out to look for her, abandoning his status as a Konoha ninja to do so. Naruto pleaded with his father to go and assist him which Minato reluctantly agreed.

Naruto tracked his best friend to a somewhat hidden base along the outskirts of Kusa. When he showed up, Itachi was sitting in the middle of the floor in what seemed to be an arena of sorts. Naruto called out to him, but he didn't respond. Instantly, he knew something was happening. Itachi turned on him and attacked him out of the blue. He wouldn't explain why, he just began attacking. Naruto adamantly tried to explain that he wasn't there to take him back. He tried to explain that he was there to help, but Itachi continued attacking him with the clear intent to kill.

They battled for hours on end with Naruto trying all he could to calm his friend down. In their hour long battle, Itachi told Naruto of the circumstances set for him by the snake Sanin. He gave him an ultimatum, either kill Naruto Namikaze, or he would kill Izumi.

Naruto nearly convinced him that if they were to work together, they could kill the snake and save her. But, as luck would have it, Orochimaru showed up with a knife to the girl's throat. Itachi realized there was no chance of saving her other than doing as the man said and ending his friend's life. With a heavy heart set in stone, he continued the battle. Izumi's pleading in the background held most of his attention.

The battle could have gone on forever with Naruto just dodging Itachi's attacks. Naruto at first thought it was a poor plan by the snake for the simple fact that he held no leverage over him. What drove the point home that this was supposed to be a death match is the next person he brought out. A bound and gagged Mito with tears streaming down her face. Immediately, Naruto wondered how in the hell the slithery man could have gotten his hands on her. He at first tried to rush the snake to get her back. In doing so, a barrier shot up around the room, officially setting the arena as the snake kicked his feet up to watch the spectacular battle that was bound to happen.

A spectacular battle it was, the two held nothing back as they fought for their hearts. Influenced by the wails of crying coming from the two girls to save them. Eventually Naruto got the upper hand and was able to kill his friend. The last thing Itachi saw before he died was Izumi's throat being slit. Naruto's soul broke completely witnessing the death of his two best friends, one of which was by his own hands. Never before had a kill made him feel so cold. The only way he could keep himself together was the thought of him saving his sister.

That illusion broke as well. When the barrier dropped, Naruto looked up to the balcony to see not one, but two cynical smiles staring down at him. Orochimaru chuckled at the blonde's confusion. Naruto's teary eyes were plastered on Mito as she shared the same smile while standing next to the snake. To his shock and horror, her appearance changed into a man he read about in the bingo books. Not famously known, but an ability very impressive. 'Hundred Transformation' Kazan.

Orochimaru and his associate escaped before the barrier fell. By the time it did, the heartbroken Naruto had no will or strength left to search for the duo. Instead, he carried the bodies of his friends all the way back to the village. Upon arrival, the people mourned the death of the village famous couple. Their questions demanded answers. It was meant to be confidential, but a leak from the ANBU guarding the Hokage during Naruto's mission report began the spread of the rumor that was partially true. Within weeks, everyone knew that Naruto Namikaze killed Itachi Uchiha. They just didn't know the full story.

And so, he was ostracized by everyone who admired the two. Rumors spread on why he had done it, each more ridiculous than the last. Some say he was jealous of Itachi for having Izumi, so he killed Itachi to get him out of the way. When he did, Izumi didn't want him, so he killed her too. Another said he just snapped out of the blue. None of them correct. It made it worse that they accused his father of playing favorites, acquitting him of his crime just because he was his son.

That is why he was slowly sinking back into his old pessimistic views. His hope for the world slowly reduced to nothingness. His will to live, carrying the fact that he killed his best friend, dwindled completely. There was no light in this world anymore. Not for him anyways.

The lack of missions was making it worse. He had been taking them one after the other just to keep his mind busy with the added benefit of avoiding the hateful gazes he received every day. The world was laughing at him. Every chance it got, it kicked the shit out of him with no mercy. What did he do? Well, he didn't know what he could do yet. It hadn't gotten to the point in which he felt he had to do something. No, he would wait it out with a sliver of his previous naïve hope that it may get better sometime soon. He just had to wait. In his bed is where he would do so. Staring at the white ceiling above him, watching as it melded seamlessly through the colors of the daylight and eventually the moon light, day after day.

* * *

Sitting in his office rubbing his temples, Minato signed another document. The recent years weighing on his mind heavily. The stress of everyone everywhere begging him to do something about one thing or another was eating him alive. He didn't know who to listen to. The council was the worst as of recent. The latest tragedy of Itachi Uchiha's death was at the center of most of it, and consequently, so was his son.

They demanded his head. Even as Minato explained that Naruto's action was within law, as Itachi was essentially a nuke ninja, they refused to hear it. They wanted vengeance for the loss of Konoha's number one ninja. They wanted him to pay for his 'crime' which Minato adamantly refused. He would not kill his own son for something he would have done had he been the one to go. Minato knew for a fact he wouldn't have hesitated to end the young prodigy's life if Mito was in danger, or if he thought she was.

Sadly, most of the requests for a trial came from his close friend Fugaku. The entire Uchiha clan was stricken with grief and they demanded he pay for his crime. Minato actually feared the outcome of the end of all of it. There were only a few ways it was bound to end. With either Naruto getting killed, or the Uchiha clan packing up and leaving Konoha for good, weakening them considerably. As a father, he wanted to protect his son as best he could, but as a Kage, the village always came first. It broke his heart, but if a threat such as that were to be issued, he would have to try his best and get the sentence of death reduced to possibly prison or exile. Neither of which he wanted.

With Naruto racking up mission after mission as he had been the past few weeks, he'd possibly have something to argue his case of freedom for. Maybe they would see reasoning with the village's current lack of man power. He doubted it. The world was at a moment of stasis. Not peace, but a great lack of major conflict that could possibly incite a war. It was calm.

Hearing reports from both Captain Yosha and Inoichi gave him more to worry about. Now, he was finding out his son may not be stable. That was cause for concern as well. For a man as skilled as Naruto, being unstable could mean another Orochimaru case. A mad man running loose among the elemental nations. No, he wouldn't believe it. His son was fine, all he need was some sleep.

As he thought that, a ball flew in through the window, emitting a purple gas that left the ANBU in the room falling from their spots. Minato jumped to his feet with his kunai in hand, staring at the figure that jumped through the window. He had a hood covering his face as he charged the blonde Hokage. They engaged in a brief taijutsu match before another squad of ANBU burst through the door. The hooded figure kicked Minato away, gaining some distance before charging towards the window. He threw an explosive tag at the roof above before jumping out. When he did, he peeked back inside at the blonde Hokage who was surprised by the face beneath the cloak. It was his own son.

Unfortunately, the ANBU within the room saw as well and gave the order to others that 'Naruto Namikaze has attacked the Hokage.' With that, they pushed their way through the falling debris, intent on finding the blonde teen and arresting him. Minato was still shell shocked at the turn of events. There was no covering this one up. He just couldn't believe Naruto would attack him so carelessly. He could have easily caught him just then, but his shock wouldn't let him move. He couldn't understand what had happened. Or maybe he could, but he just refused to believe it.

Naruto remained staring at his ceiling, as he had done all day, when he suddenly heard someone quietly enter his home. As a trained ANBU operative, he heard it clearly and drew a kunai, readying it for whatever fool tried to attack him. He could hear multiple things in his house shifting or moving with someone's influence. Waiting around the corner, completely calm, he waited as whoever it was came rushing in, when they did, he ended their life with no hesitation until he saw that it was one of his own ANBU agents. A guy he knew, more specifically.

Instantly, he dropped the Kunai in his hands and fell to the ground spewing out a string of no's in urgency. "No, no, no, hey… Hayate, hey." He said putting pressure on the slash in his neck, trying to stop the blood from flowing out. His hand glowed green with medical chakra, but before he could heal the injury, he was tackled to the ground by a group of other ANBU agents. With his face pressed against the floor, he looked down to the end of the hall and perched in the window, staring back at him, was himself. His eyes grew considerably with the smirk he was given before the visage changed into some random civilian and jumped away.

A knee pushed his face down muffling his cries to go after the real perp. He struggled more and more, just to get to a position where he could at least talk, but as soon as he did, the ANBU on his back delivered a chop to the back of his neck, putting him to sleep, his head band was removed from around his neck.

* * *

(2 Months later)

His body slumped over on his knees in the middle of the room filled with people who hated him, and his father's saddened gaze upon him, Naruto stared blankly at the ground beneath his knees. The room sat in silence awaiting the verdict they had all arrived to at long last. For the past two months, Naruto was being held in the ANBU prison as he made his own case to defend himself when he was called before the council.

He explained every assumption he arrived at, even re-explaining the situation involving Itachi's death. The council was split in their thinking. Most of the civilians were undeterred by his story. But, the clan heads and higher ups seemingly understood, if even a little. Understanding and forgiving were different things as explained by Fugaku.

When he explained what he believed happened the night he was being charged for, he told them of seeing 'hundred transformation' Kazan fleeing the scene while he was being detained. The one thing he couldn't explain was the man's motive. The only possible answer he had was that the man was possibly intent on ruining his life.

The council would not accept such a runaround excuse, so his only possible explanation was seen as unreliable. Now, they just waited for the inevitable sentencing. Minato stood to his feet, no attempt at masking the pain of his duty. "Naruto Namikaze… for the crime of attempted murder against your Kage… and the murder of a fellow Konoha Shinobi… you have been sentenced to life in prison…" his voice grew softer and softer as he spoke. Even when all was said and done, the room remained completely silent. "I am… so sorry son…"

The only sound now was the clanking of Naruto's shackles as he was being hauled off by two of the ANBU guards. This time, to the real prison.

* * *

(One month later)

One month… one hellish month that fell into a new cycle that was far less than favorable. It couldn't have been helped however as the prison was run by his biggest fans, the Uchiha clan. With the testament of what happened the day of Itachi's death directly to Fugaku's face, he had hoped it would be enough to at least make peace, but the past few weeks told him otherwise.

His first night there was the loneliest he had ever been. He wasn't placed with the other prisoners immediately. Instead, he was taken to one of the abandoned divisions in the lower levels. It was there that the guards felt he needed to be taught a lesson. Sure, he could have fought back and probably killed them, but he figured there was no point. It would do him no good anyways.

They beat him severely for the first few days, taking turns venting their frustrations out and getting revenge for their fallen clan prodigy. His daily torture was only accented by the lack of proper treatment and bare essentials. He was given one, very unfavorable meal a day, water twice a day and a shower that could not be used. That was his cycle for the time being.

When the guards had finished having their fun with the blonde, he was at last moved up to the regular prison levels. His first cell mate was a man who had a grudge against his father for his sentencing, as did more than a few others. In other words, after Naruto endured the beatings from the guards, he had thought they would stop. Of course, life had more jokes for him. His permanent fate of enduring more beating being one of them. They had their fun with him whenever they felt as though they wanted to hit something, and when staring at a wall was your main activity, you always wanted to hit something.

The guards always turned a blind eye to the events, whether they be in the courtyard, the cafeteria, or the hallway. They would always stand aside and watch until his attacker got tired before bringing back order. For those who really hated him, they gave the prisoners the lower floor for the purpose of having fun for as long as they wished. It was down there that they attempted to kill him. It was down there that Naruto Namikaze finally lost it.

While down there, one of the attackers got the idea to drown him in the water from the shower, knowing full well the issue that made the lower levels inaccessible. There was a reason the lower levels were no longer used. They ran on the same pipelines that were used by the old lab of the snake Sanin. Pipes that he used to dump his toxic chemicals before he fled. That day, there were hundreds of prisoners that died because of it.

Sadly for Naruto, that wasn't the case for him. His Uzumaki blood seemed to allow him to fend off the internal effects it caused. But, it did well in changing his appearance. Not to an extreme level, but it did dye the hair on his body blood red. In a stroke of Irony, he looked as though he were born with the color just as his mother and sister. It was just another part in the series of bad events, this one finally broke him.

While the men stood around his broken form, watching him throw the blackened liquid off his body, they laughed. Thinking back to his favorite book that he was no longer able to read, he realized something. The book was completely right. Everything it said made perfect sense. The world around him was laughing at him. It was kicking dirt in his face and laughing its ass off. Everyone around him was intent on assisting. They were quick to notice him when he did something bad, but when he tried to play the hero and just be a morally correct person, he was forgotten about. No matter what he did, he was overlooked as if he belonged in nonexistence.

It was at that moment, as he kneeled on the floor with his skin burning, and black liquid still pouring out of his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. He pushed his hands through his newly red hair, still covered in the murky black liquid, holding his hair to his head… and he laughed. He cackled like a man possessed, freezing the surrounding men almost instantly. They watched him laugh at absolute silence.

One of them who felt brave enough from kicking his ass all day, stepped up with the plan of delivering another kick to his face. When his leg came within range, Naruto grabbed his ankle in an iron grip, clamping down harder and harder. He was no longer laughing. With a violent jerk of his wrist, he broke the man's leg. The man's screaming is all that broke the silence of the barren prison chamber.

The four remaining men got into fighting stances seeing that he was finally planning on fighting back. Only one of them was smiling as he was an ANBU agent himself and felt that he could take him. The others weren't so sure, two of them barely reaching the rank of Chunin and one of them barely making Genin.

Naruto stood up with his back to the group, not effected in the slightest by the man screaming bloody murder next to him, trying to crawl away. He was still casually wiping the black water off his body. Pulling a strand of hair down, he examined how blood red it was. "huh…" he admired. "That is… uncanny… hehuhhahaha!" he said with a gassed out chuckle that did little to settle their nerves.

The former ANBU commander was tired of the anticipation. Now was his best chance to attack. He leaped forward intent on delivering a kick to his back. Naruto side stepped the attack and grabbed the off balanced man in a choke hold. Without a moment's hesitation, he snapped his neck with a nauseating cracking sound. When he dropped the body to the ground, the other two lost faith in their chances of defeating him. Their only chance was to make a run for the door to get the attention of a guard. When they took off running, Naruto slowly turned around and began walking their way.

Passing by the whimpering man with the freshly broken leg, he stepped on his injured appendage, inciting another hell curdling scream from him. "Don't go too far now. I'll be right back… Hehahahah!"

The two men made it to the metal door and began beating on it repeatedly, begging for someone to open the door. The guard that was usually at the top of the stairs wasn't there this time. Turning around, they saw the red haired teen, still partially covered in the black water, casually strolling their way. In urgency they began hitting it harder and harder, trying to break the door down.

Naruto strolled towards the two in apparent amusement. A small grin plastered on his lips and an intense look in his eyes. Watching the two men fight for their lives was amusing him in some sick way. Even more so when they turned to face him. Resolve in their eyes and a will to live, they charged, one after the other, and died in the same order.

With those two handled, he casually walked back to the last man standing… well, crawling. The man was still on the floor with his head tucked against his forearms and his body trembling. Naruto grabbed the man by his broken leg and swung him around until his body crashed into one of the cell doors. His fit of screaming tuned up to another level completely. Naruto squatted down to gaze into his eyes.

In doing so, the man tried to throw a swing at him. Naruto caught his fist with his left hand and with his right, jabbed him in the bicep. When that appendage dropped lifeless, the man pulled the shank he was hiding up his left sleeve and slashed at him. Naruto easily disarmed him, disabling that arm as well. The man regretted his actions almost immediately as he watched the blonde twirl it in his hands, examining its quality. "Huh… you brought me a toy…" he said taking the blade in his hand.

When he suddenly stopped, the man looked him in the eye with more fear than he was expecting. Naruto's visage became softer, almost sincere. "What's wrong? You were laughing at me just a moment ago." He said. "You don't look good with a frown… let me fix that. Heh-hahahah!" Grabbing the man by his hair, he stuck the blade in his mouth and gave him a partial Glasgow smile. "There, now even in your grave, you'll be smiling." With that, he slit his throat and watched the blood pour out in a steady stream.

Then, he sat there in the middle of his heinous crime and waited patiently for the guards to return to five dead prisoners and a new man, laughing at the ironic turn of events. Marking this day as the day he finally lost his mind, and lost himself. The day he simply laughed back. There was no longer a Naruto Namikaze. That boy was gone. Now, all that remained was no one.

 **AN: Ok guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, or at the very least tolerated it. It seems extremely rushed I know, but I assure you, it was only due to my impatience to make it to the juicier parts while I've still got your attention. The original chapter was about 12000 words long, reading it myself, even I got bored so I cut some out. Reading it** _ **again**_ **, I am sure I have hit all important areas. And if you now know the character Naruto is based on, let me know in a review and explain how you figured it out.**

 **Now that I'm at a comfortable spot, I will slow it down a bit in the next chapter. And before the reviews come in, I understand some of you were expecting, and hoping for, a 'hero' Naruto story. Clearly that's not the case. If you would like, I urge you to use the concept of the forgiving Naruto in a story of your own. I would love to read it. More so than that, I know you guys were adamant in not wanting another brooding story. To calm your nerves, I know most of this chapter involved it, but it is not how Naruto will be throughout the duration of the story. Anyways, till next time. The story will finally begin…**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Welcome back those who have chosen to continue along with me. A couple of things to address.**

 **Some of you guys just make absolutely no sense. I got called a "Naruto hater" for subjecting him to so much pain… I was absolutely baffled by that one. I mean come on now, Naruto is the main character in this story. Yes, the world is shitting on him right now, but it is only to further the plot and make him into the character I need him to be. If you do not like it, then please, there should be a back button or an exit somewhere on the screen of your device, use it and leave.  
**

 **There were 2 individuals to figure out the character Naruto was based off of (well that have reached out to me). The first one to buzz it in was** **HelpfulNudge** **. A dude who has actually been reviewing my story since day one. He didn't actually know it to be honest, since he just pointed out the likeness to the character, but he did guess it. The one who actually knew it was a guy named** **George** **… that was it, just George. So, shouts out to you George.  
**

 **For those who didn't guess it, the character was the Joker. I used pieces of the concept of** **The Killing Joke** **comic book in which the Joker attempts to drive Gordon insane by subjecting him to the worst day of his life. Claiming it just takes one bad day to have the sanest man end up like him. Instead of "one bad day" I made it into a "series of bad events"  
**

 **Naruto will be a lot like the man I feel has played the joker to the greatest extent it will ever be played live action, Heath Ledger. Dude is my absolute inspiration. But, I will also be bringing aspects from Jared Leto as well. I know, I know he receives hella hate from mostly everybody, but personally I like him. I feel we just haven't seen him in action yet to truly judge how good he can be.**

 **Ok! Now, for this chapter, there will be one more multi-year skip, and then I swear… no more. After the last skip in this chapter, the jumps won't be longer than maybe a year at most. For those who stay, I hope you enjoy reading my story as it is about to get interesting… maybe.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 5**

(1 years later)

On the third floor of the Konoha Maximum security prison, three men struggled down the hall passing cage after cage of men who earned a rightful place within the establishment. One a skinny brown haired man dressed in his orange jumpsuit, the other two Uchiha guards pushing him along, struggling the whole way. The prisoner looked absolutely terrified, begging the guards desperately to not force him to go wherever they were taking him. He did everything he could to prevent his movement. Dropping down to the ground, pushing his feet against the rails and indentions of the walls on the way by. The men within their cells that watched him pass by chuckled and threw out words of false encouragement that only increased his fear.

"Oh come on! Please!" he yelled, trying his hardest to push back against the two men. "Kami! Please! I beg you!" his pleas fell on deaf ears as they dragged him away, towards the very last cell that had three empty cells next to it. The man even begged to be put into one of those, but they had their orders and stuck to them, throwing him into the cell and shutting him in. The man quickly got to his feet and ran for the cage, trying to throw it open before the guard locked it. "NO! Please!" he said grabbing onto the bars as they walked away.

Soon, he was left there, left to hear nothing but the chatter of the other prisoners in the distance. He refused to turn around as fear racked his entire body. From behind him, he could hear tapping. Following the advice given to him before he was brought in, he tried not to make a single sound. The shaking of his lip was allowing the smallest of whimpers to escape his mouth. That's what he focused on for the time being.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard a whistle that was clearly intended to get his attention. His mind was ripping itself in half trying to weigh his odds. If he didn't turn around, he'd be disrespecting him, but if he did… well, they had only heard stories. Figuring he'd have to face his fears at some point, he turned around timidly. The cell had the basic layout the rest of them did with a bunk bed off to the right side, a toilet sitting in the back left corner, a sink against the back wall, and a small table and chairs bolted to the floor in the middle.

In the seat facing him, his new red headed cellmate sat, holding a deck of cards that he tapped on the table portentously in rhythms of three. A very intense look in his eye that was directed solely at the skinny man standing in front of him. Stalking him as if he were the most interesting thing to him at that moment. "Hello..." he called out lowly. "Looks like we're cell mates now."

The man tried his hardest to clinch his trembling lip as tight as he could. His hands were held protectively against his chest and his eyes refused to meet the steely gaze of the red head. Forcing himself to reply, he whispered out. "s-… seem like it…" His tone was riddled with so much fear, he berated himself for even trying.

The red head smiled at him. "Hey, would you like to be my friend?"

* * *

The council chamber was once again filled to the brim with people that at this point were becoming very annoyed with the case they were discussing, the case of the sentencing of Naruto Namikaze. His enraged family brought the case up every month since their return with new arguments and questions. Minato continued bringing the case to the floor as it was his decision which trials they discussed each time they got together. With their society being a militaristic dictatorship, they could not speak out against his ruling, excluding special cases such as a Shinobi's imprisonment which was the current issue. Sitting in the middle of the room along a table, directly in front of the main council members, was Kushina, Menma, and Mito along with Jiraiya. All there to plead the case or give a testament.

"All I'm saying is that it doesn't make sense." Kushina said pulling out cards that she had written facts about the case on. "I mean, Naruto claimed it was the working of Hundred Transformation Kazan that posed as him. So, why was he not searched for when you received this information?"

Danzo Shimura was heading the meeting with the agreeance of Minato who understood the case was too personal for him to rule favorably. "That information wasn't received until the morning after the attack. By that time, he would have been nearing the outskirts of the land of fire."

"So you just decided not to even entertain the idea that he could have been telling the truth?" she asked incredulously.

"Don't be foolish, of course we did. Namikaze's claim for a possible motive was too ridiculous to be taken." He replied.

At this point, Jiraiya stood up. "I agree, but I'd argue the kid was too emotionally distressed to give an accurate motive."

"So you're saying you have one?" asked Homura from his side.

"Actually I do. You see, the death of Itachi Uchiha is linked to this. Kazan posed as his sister to get him to fight Itachi. He was working with Orochimaru at the time." He let that ring in the air for a few moments.

Danzo rushed him to elaborate. "What is your point Jiraiya?"

"It's Orochimaru!" Jiraiya yelled out as if the case was completely obvious. "I mean, come on. Do you not know his motives for what he does?"

"And what would that motive be?" Fugaku asked from his spot.

"He wants him. He wants to make him a monster, because he saw his potential." He answered.

Danzo seemed completely unconvinced. "We are not here to base motives off of speculation. Regardless if we accepted your ridiculous guess of intention, Naruto Namikaze has solidified his position within prison. He has killed an active Konoha shinobi and twenty eight men while incarcerated including three guards."

"We argue self-defense." Kushina replied instantly. "Hayate-san was within Naruto's residency unlawfully, to Naruto's knowledge, and as a Shinobi, he was within his rights to kill all of them. He even expressed the fact that he killed him by mistake." Before Danzo could argue his point, she continued. "Naruto himself was found beaten and chemically tortured by the guards who discovered the scene."

"That means nothing." Danzo replied. "Inoichi-san, would you please explain to us your last psychological evaluation with the prisoner in question?" He said directing everyone's attention to the man.

Inoichi shifted in his seat a little, feeling uneasy about incriminating the son of his friends. "I uh… My evaluation with Naruto Namikaze was… quite informative." He said coughing into his hand. "He was uh… very unhinged, if I were to describe it. His topics bounced around sporadically. His personality shifted completely from when I had last spoken to him."

"Do not beat around the bush Inoichi." Danzo demanded. "Tell them what you told me… They need to hear it."

Inoichi cursed the man. He looked down into the eyes of the man's family in sympathy. "Naruto Namikaze showed heavy signs of psychopathy… when… when we talked, he spoke of his intentions of what he wished to do if he were ever released. Describing things along the lines of mass murder and inciting wars."

Kushina and the others couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. "What do you mean by signs of psychopathy?" Jiraiya asked.

"w-Well, when evaluating someone, we begin with basic questions used to determine their emotional state. From their answers, it is decided if they are in need of the test. Naruto's answers were completely unrelated to the questions being asked. So, I began to ask him more… hypothetical questions to see how he reacted to them, his answers were uh… circuitous to say the least." Inoichi explained.

"So, you marked him insane because he was answered your questions indirectly?" Jiraiya asked in a deadpanned tone.

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that." He said. "The questions are used to get them ticking. Make them feel as though they're not in control. When they feel as though they are losing it, they will either react violently, or use some other motive to return it to their favor. Naruto is quite slick with his words. He led me into a conversation that left himself explaining what he was talking about, as I did not understand. In other words, he shifted the conversation towards a subject only he knew about, making himself the only person with words on the subject, putting himself in control."

"That doesn't prove anything!" Mito yelled out, finally joining the conversation. "Naruto-nii is just smart."

"He is indeed." Inoichi continued. "Which is why he knew he could shift the conversation towards his own favor. Aside from the mental battle we had, his physical tendencies were unbalanced as well."

"What? Did he shake his leg too fast?" Jiraiya joked.

Inoichi brushed off the comment and continued on. "No, it was more subtle things. For one, he uh… he only blinked once." The family just stared at him incredulously, visually asking if he were serious. "Our conversation was two hours long." He clarified. "Look, Kushina, I am… terribly sorry for what is happening to your family at the moment, but in my opinion, I have never seen a look like the one Naruto has in his eyes. He's not the same boy he was when you left. If you continue in your journey to get him released, and you succeed… I fear for us all."

Kushina's expression was down trodden. She stared at the table beneath her hands thinking over his words. No words of reply to the statement. He was trying to demonize her son. What could she say?

"There is no need to fear, Inoichi." Danzo said looking down on the group in the center of the room. "Naruto Namikaze will never leave that prison."

"Actually, he will." Said Fugaku, surprising everyone. They all looked at him in questioning. Was he siding with Kushina? "Naruto has become too dangerous to keep within the prison. He is responsible for talking seven of his previous cellmates and neighboring inmates into committing suicide. It has gotten to the point in which we have had to clear out six of the cells next to his to prevent it from happening further. With the overcrowding state the prison is in currently, you can see how that is a problem. In our need to place more than a few inmates in solitary confinement, we have come to the point of threatening to move them to his cell to keep them in line. Since the death of one of the guards however, the others are afraid to go near him."

"So where else do you propose we put him?" Minato asked, finally joining the conversation.

Fugaku thought it over. "Well, if we decide him a lost cause, he can be sent to Hozuki Castle…" he said receiving a shake of Minato's head. "Or, he could be moved to the asylum in the care of Inoichi. It's a less stressful environment with the same containment tactics." He suggested. "All the cells are isolated and he'd receive the proper treatment he needs."

Minato looked down in thought. It was a lot better than prison, but if Naruto were a danger to the prisoners, then would it be wise to stick him in place where they were granted virtually more freedom? "I will leave the decision up to Inoichi." He said looking over to the man.

Inoichi looked down in thought. "I have a haunting feeling that I should probably refuse, but I suppose it would be best." He said nodding his head.

Danzo interrupted. "For it to be a possibility, there must be restrictions as he is still imprisoned." He said. Minato nodded begrudgingly as he had given him authority over the case. "There will be no interaction between Namikaze and the other occupants. He will not be allowed recreational time as he is not a patient, he is a prisoner."

"Might I suggest a two hour psychological session as well. Total isolation could cause more harm and aggression than is recommended for someone of Naruto's skills." Inoichi said.

"The two hour session is approved. If at all possible get him mentally sane enough to be moved back to the prison. Regarding his skills, they will not be an issue, he has a complex seal blocking off his chakra made for prisoner containment by the Nidaime himself. It has stood strong for years." Danzo said.

Inoichi nodded, blowing out a sigh with clear worry riddling his tone. "Hold on." Fugaku said. "Who will you have undergo his evaluations?"

"Well, I have a staff full of capable psychologists most of which were trained by me personally. They are all highly capable." He answered.

Fugaku gave him a look that did nothing to settle his nerves. "I'd advise putting only your best. Preferably yourself." He said giving no further information.

Finally tired of holding their tongues, Kushina spoke up. "Hang on, don't we get a say in this?" she asked.

"I am afraid not." Danzo said. "Your argument today was pushing for your son's release. That is not, and will not ever happen. Furthermore, Naruto Namikaze will have no visitors, other than those granted special clearance, as he is still a prisoner of capital offense. He will have the same lack of laws he would have had within the prison." He said with finality that enraged the red head beyond belief. "That is the final result of this meeting Hokage-sama."

Minato stared at the top edge of his podium with a disappointed look as well. He was of course unsatisfied with the verdict, but was already plotting strong points for the next argument that was most likely going to take place next month. He was the Hokage so he decided on whatever case he chose to no matter how many times he chose to do so.

"If that is all, everyone is dismissed." He said standing up himself.

Kushina was packing the papers and various forms she brought back into the folder, glaring at Danzo who looked right back at her apathetically. "This isn't over." She warned him as her and the others headed towards the exit.

Danzo just snorted at her remark. "I'm sure."

* * *

(Three hours later)

The Namikaze house was subdued in utter silence. Mito, Menma, Jiraiya, and Kakashi sat around the table listening to the aggressive cooking taking place in the kitchen. Mito and Menma still silently arguing as to not disturb the others stuck in the thought of their defeat.

Jiraiya was thinking of things they could use for the next case but was drawing complete blanks. Everything he came up with somehow found a way to counter itself or was seen as invalid due to some of the things already discussed. This was extremely important to him and the others could tell. Although they would like to believe it was all for Naruto, it wasn't. He loved the boy, but this was also a chance to finally get Konoha to actively search for and apprehend his old teammate or even kill. He's known Orochimaru for years and if he's learned one thing, it's that he is a very patient person. No matter how long he had to wait, he would see his plans come to fruition and with a mind like his, Jiraiya feared what that could mean.

Minato walked into the silence, knowing full well he was expecting it. He hung his cloak up and made his way through the dining room, greeting everyone on the way by. He entered the kitchen to see Kushina chopping vegetables so aggressively that it was cutting into the wood of the cutting board. He walked up next to her, getting her attention. "We uh… we made progress."

Chopping even harder she replied instantly. "Heh, 'progress'" she mocked. "What fucking progress? We got him sent to a house full of whackos and sick people? How great."

"That's not what I meant." Minato said looking down in thought. "We've gotten the backing of a few more of the clan heads."

"What good is that now that you put that, one eyed fucker in charge of everything?" she asked him spitting out the term she used for Danzo with venom.

Minato rubbed his face. "Look, I had to. Shikaku thought it would be a good idea. He said a few of the clan heads were siding against us because they thought I was playing favorites."

"So! I bet if it were one of their kids they'd do the same.. **Fucking** thing!" she said louder, splitting the cutting board in half. Minato walked up and gently pulled the knife from her hand.

"Calm down, calm down. Look, it's not over. We'll bring the case back up next month, and we will keep bringing it up until we have him back." He said rubbing her arms to soothe her stress. "We will get him back… I promise." Kushina's body just slumped against his, trying her hardest to keep faith in his words. After a year of doing this, it felt like she couldn't believe him, and with Inoichi's statement, she knew the situation got a lot harder.

* * *

(3 days later)

Four armed Uchiha guards as well as Fugaku himself walked down the halls of the prison towards the last cell. Walking pass the cells of men sitting in a shocked silence the further they went. One of them holding a load of equipment that jingled with every step.

Finally making it to the last cell, they peered inside to see a sight that was disturbing. Naruto sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table facing them, and his cellmate beating his head on the wall. Blood splatter dripping down the wall in front of him.

"Kario, get him and take him to the infirmary." Fugaku said as they opened the cell.

Naruto stared at Fugaku in amusement. "Ah, Fugaku-sama. It's been a while." He said with a small smile resting on his lips. His eyes barreling into the Uchiha leaders with such intensity it was unsettling. "What is the reason for this visit?" He asked him casually.

Fugaku and the others stepped into the cell, the one with the equipment timidly walked around the table and got behind the redhead, pulling him to his feet. "You are being moved to the Asylum as you have become too dangerous to remain in this prison." Fugaku explained. "While there, you will have the same lack of rights you have here." He said repeating the words of Danzo. He threw him a set of white clothes to further accent that this was no joke.

"You think I'm crazy…" He said in amusement holding the clothes in his hands.

Fugaku crossed his arms meeting the intense gaze without fear. "What I think is of no importance. An expert has deemed you a certified psychopath. Put em' on." He demanded.

Naruto only smiled at him "I prefer orange." He stated casually.

"I don't care." He replied with his stoic look still in place.

Naruto chuckled and removed his clothes and slipped into the white uniform. When he finished his arms were bounded tightly behind his back and his feet were shackled together. "An expert huh? So, Inoichi-san believes I am crazy." He stated with a smile, before he could say anything else a muzzle was placed over his mouth so that he could not speak.

"Aside from that, your actions within my facility have been a hindrance to my staff and the functioning of the prison. You will be moved to the Asylum where you will have no contact with the patients and no recreational time. In addition, you will attend a two hour long session with a psychologist every day." He informed him. He couldn't see it, but he just knew the redhead was smiling.

The two Uchiha guards on either side of him grabbed onto his elbows and began ushering him out the cell and down the hall. On the way, his casual gaze peered into the cells of the men still frozen in silence as they watched the psychopath being led down the hall, all of them noticing the white get up and finding it fitting. Fugaku was amazed by how much fear he was able to instill in the men of their horrible nature. Naruto was like a monster to these monsters and it only ensured him that he should never be allowed to roam free.

Pushing him out the front door of the prison, the three Uchiha police force members marched him through the woods that led to the psychiatric ward that was about a mile through the back woods of the village. Naruto didn't struggle in the slightest. He played visual mind games with the wards staff that were heading back to the village in the opposite direction, giving them playful gazes and eye smiles that were completely unsettling.

Finally arriving at the Asylum, Inoichi was already waiting at the door with two of his biggest staff members ready to take over from there. Naruto gave the blonde man an amused look from behind his muzzle. His concentrated gaze boring into his skull with unknown intentions.

The Uchiha guards handed off the prisoner to the two workers as Fugaku greeted Inoichi. Shaking the timid man's hand, he gave his parting words. "Best of luck Inoichi." He said lowly. Inoichi exhaled and nodded his head at the man as he and his clansmen walked away. Inoichi took the lead, walking the two guards and his new patient/prisoner along with them.

Naruto looked around at the new scenery of all white while he was being pushed along. It was a new experience in contrast to the usual grey walls he was used to. A blinding one at that. They passed hallway after hallway, passing many rooms and offices. Making it to the stairs, they climbed up three flights before finally stepping back into a hall. In the distance, Naruto could hear chatter. As he was pushed along, they passed by what he assumed was the recreational center as there were a bunch of white clothed patients doing various tasks inconsistent to what it looked like they would be doing. Like the two men sitting at the chess bored staring off into space or asleep.

He was pushed along until he could no longer see them. After that, it was more white halls with patients being led down the hall or back into their rooms. He received looks of fear from more than a few of the ward employees on the way by which was familiar of course. Finally, at the very end of the hall was a single room, far away from the others, marked with his name. Inoichi pulled out his keys and unlocked the metal door.

They walked the blonde in and halted him in the middle of the room, Inoichi pulled out a needle and flicked it twice. He stuck it in Naruto's neck and his body began to slump forward. The two guards grabbed hold of him and carried him towards the pad in the corner, laying him down. Inoichi pulled out the keys Fugaku gave him and removed the cuffs and shackles from the redhead. When he finished that, another of his employees brought in a straitjacket that they secured tightly on Naruto's form.

"Will that be all Dr. Yamanaka?" asked one of the workers standing next to him as he looked down at Naruto.

With a sigh and a nod, he turned around. "Yes, that is all. Return to your tasks." He said ushering them out before stepping out himself and locking the metal door. It always pained him to see someone he's known since they were children end up in this place. It happened all too often for his liking.

* * *

(The next day)

Sitting in a room with metal chairs and a metal table, all bolted to the floor, Naruto stared up into the dangling light above. His straight jacket secured with chains connected to the floor. He was sat down a few hours earlier by two of the workers and was told to wait for his session to begin. Eventually, the door opened up and Inoichi walked in with a vanilla folder in his hand and a cup of coffee tucked in his elbow to free his other to shut the door. He strolled over casually, not even looking Naruto's way yet.

Sitting down, he sat his stuff down and looked towards the blonde. Naruto's intense gaze was already on him with a small smile tugging at his lips. Inoichi ignored the look and pulled a note pad and a pen from his pocket. "Good morning Naruto. I will be handling your psychological sessions for the time being. I would like to start out by asking you some simple questions."

"I believe we have already done this Inoichi-san." Naruto said, amusement in his voice. "Don't tell me you have to reevaluate me now."

Inoichi shook his head. "These are different questions." He said flipping a few pages. Naruto waited patiently with his smile fading in and out. "Now, do you know what you are doing here?"

"Well, an uh… an expert" he said with a hint of amusement, "has deemed me clinically insane."

Inoichi didn't react to the statement. "It's a little more complicated than that." He said. "Naruto, I'm not here to treat you like a criminal… Ok, I've been on your side since before your trial." Naruto just nodded mockingly. "I want to help you…" he said seriously.

Naruto looked up in thought. "Ugh, if only I could believe you." He said in false exasperation.

"And why can't you?"

Naruto shifted in his seat giving Inoichi a confused look and a smile. "Well, you told me not to." He said wittily. Inoichi raised an eyebrow at the statement. He hadn't said anything like that. Seeing his confusion, Naruto rolled his eyes in comical annoyance. "Come on, I know it only made it to paper back but still."

Inoichi was still as confused as possible. This was an example of what he meant in the trial when he said Naruto's topics would bounce around sporadically. Now it seemed as if he were on a completely different subject altogether. Well that's what he thought until Naruto explained further.

"' _The biggest sin of a man at war is his undoubted belief in the enemy's words. It is a psychosomatic disadvantage of a human being, who has seen enough tragedy, to have faith in the things he hears that promise an end. If he is told of a possible end to war, regardless of where the information comes from, he will take it without question. A shinobi's duty is to resist such an urge._ ' Inoichi Yamanaka, _the Psychology of War_." Naruto said.

Inoichi's eyes widened ever so slightly when he realized what he was talking about. "You've read my book." He stated in surprise. Surprise because it was never very popular to those who weren't studying psychology. It was far from being a bestseller.

"I did." Naruto said nodding his head. "A true masterpiece it was."

Inoichi raised an eyebrow, not expecting a compliment. "Well, thank you. But, I don't believe that applies to this situation. We're not at war."

"Aren't we?" Naruto responded immediately. "Call it what you will, but this is war. Two sides facing off in a battle to gain the upper hand or maintain it.. That is the goal here right?" he asked upholding that same unsettling eye contact. "I mean, your expert evaluation of me is that I am a psychopath… Someone who loves being in control." He mocked.

Inoichi was starting to feel a bit anxious as he just got that sickening feeling that Naruto was more than a few steps ahead of him. His many years of doing this however gave nothing away and he met the redhead's eye contact with a stoic look that was unshaken. Coughing into his hand, he replied. "Yes, but I am not here to compete with you."

"Oh but you are… You are here for just that reason. You see, this little uh, game.. of ours has the ultimate objective of control. We're in your facility… you control all things within. Patients, workers, the lights and what not?" Naruto rhetorically asked him receiving a nod of confirmation. "Yeah, well, as hard as you may try and hide it, I can tell I threaten you." Inoichi chuckled a bit as a way to demean Naruto's statement when in truth he wasn't feeling too confident. "No, I do." He accented calmly.

Inoichi sat back in his seat with a forced grin on his face. "And how is that?" he asked him.

Naruto blinked in thought. "Well, you are no match for me physically, and you know that. All those years of war and you couldn't beat me if you left me in this straitjacket. You know this so you have to come up with some other method of besting me... You want to assert your dominance by displaying your prowess in something that only a handful of men have been able to best you at, mental prowess."

Inoichi's false smirk of confidence unintentionally dropped by the end of Naruto's rant.

"But, now you're starting to truly worry… because I'm besting you at that as well. Is that not what war is about?... gaining the tactical advantage over your enemy in all aspects of the fight? As I am sure you're aware, you are not the first man to depict war in a mental stand point." He asked again rhetorically.

"Of course." Inoichi said nodding.

"Do you know of Wakata Fuji?" Naruto asked. Inoichi wanted to say yes, but he knew the types of corners you could be backed into when lying to someone as intelligent as Naruto, so instead he shook his head. Naruto nodded and continued. "Well, he was a general of Kirigakure during the second great shinobi war. He wrote a book titled, _It's a Mind Game_... what the book was about was basically the mental strain put on the mind of a man at war, much like yours. In his depiction, he explained it as being a process, a slow process, much like uh… well, working on a patient." He said with a shrug.

Inoichi was listening intently, actually interested in what he was saying.

"When war begins.. the first step is asserting your dominance, making the opposing side more timid to attack. That was your intention when coming here today. You may not have known it, but it was. It is what you would call a tactless objective. It was planned out without even truly thinking about it. It's actually a fairly blatant example of the good guy/ bad guy complex really." He said with a chuckle.

"How is that exactly?" Inoichi asked in reply.

"Wow…" Naruto said smiling as he shook his head. "You really don't see it… Well, you woke up this morning… thinking about this moment. In anticipation, your mind simplified the situation. There are two men here, one good one bad." He said nodding his way as if he were talking to a child. "In your mind, you went over various scenarios and mentally planned out how you wanted it to go. You expected me to be much more aggressive than I am from the stories you've heard, or else you wouldn't have seen it fit to secure me with chains." He said leaning forward stretching out the metal links on his back. "In doing so, you made a plan to make it clear to me who was in charge here."

"You're drawing this assumption from thin air." Inoichi said portentously.

"Oh, but I'm noot." Naruto said almost as if he were singing. "You see, from the very first question, you meant to demean my intelligence, expecting me to have a very rudimentary understanding of 'why I'm here.'" He mocked. "Which I did… Your response was 'It's a little more complicated than that.' Clear signifier." He said casually nodding his own head. "Then you layered a sheet of emotional manipulation over top of it to make it seem as if you were 'on my side.' A clever tactic that I am sure has worked on a ton of patients." Naruto praised. "But, even still. It's too elementary for a mental war of this level, and you know what they say about war… you never know who's winning until the end." He said with a smile.

"Do you think you're winning?" Inoichi asked.

Naruto only chuckled ominously. "Oh-hoho, It is faar from the end." He replied leaning back in his seat. Inoichi just stared at him seeing him in a new light. From their last conversation, he was convinced Naruto was psychologically unhinged, but after this talk, he was getting a different vibe. He wasn't unhinged at all, psychotic yes, but unhinged? Not so much. For some reason, that just made things a lot worse.

* * *

(4 years later)

Rubbing his temples, Minato signed another document, barely reading its content. His old age was starting to wear him down after all these years. Adding the drama of the constant arguments he was involved in, he was more than exhausted. Four years was all it took to both amaze him and disappoint him all at the same time. Amazement coming from his two youngest children as they climbed the ranks bit by bit, owning up to their titles and respect within the village.

They turned eighteen a few months ago which really made him realize how fast time was going by. It was like he blinked and they were fully grown and moving on with their lives. Years of fighting for their brother's freedom alongside their mother had eaten up the remainder of their youth. Oh yes, Naruto was still locked within the Asylum, now with no possible way of getting out. A bitter pill that they all had to swallow.

Two years ago, they were just nearing a breaking point in which the council members were considering releasing the blonde, but with the world working against them, the veteran psychologist Inoichi entrusted with Naruto's sessions in his absence committed suicide within his home after a conversation with him. The man's suicide note expressed in extreme urgency that Naruto was the most insane man he had ever worked on and if he were to ever be released, it would only cause more destruction than it was worth. That was all it took for the members of the council to put their foot down at the wife of the Hokage and explain to her that under no circumstances was he ever going to be released as he was too dangerous to ever step foot in civilized society.

The entire Namikaze family was of course unhappy with the news, but the one who took it the hardest was Kushina. Mainly due to the events that happened after the council gave her that ultimatum. She agreed she would not bring the trial up again if she got to see him one last time. They agreed to her request and she went the next morning. When she got there and signed in, giddy and heartbroken about seeing her son for the first time in years, but the last time forever. What broke her hear completely, was when Inoichi told her he wasn't taking visitors. When she demanded that it was an order from the council to let her see him, Inoichi clarified he knew as he was there too. Restating his previous statement, he told her Naruto refused to see her.

Kushina at that moment knew without a doubt she was a failure as a mother. She linked his reasoning to the neglect they put him through all those years ago. Convincing herself that he was just suppressing his emotions all along and that he truly hated them. She spiraled into a very deep depression that consumed her life for over a year. It was only the previous year that she was finally able to pull herself back up and stand on her own two feet, in part due to their growing family.

Menma, now an ANBU operative, realized somewhere along the line how precious life was. After losing people close to him, he understood how short it could be, so he and his girlfriend, Sakura Haruno, decided that they wanted to be together forever, for as long as that forever was at least. So, they married at the age of seventeen. It was the needed bit of joy that was finally able to pull Kushina out of her rut even just a little. Then even further with the news of her pregnancy.

Adding to that, the official relationship of Mito Namikaze and Sasuke Uchiha brought her joy as well. She couldn't be involved in one of her children's life, but she still had two that were moving on and doing wonderful things. Her heart stung every time she thought of Naruto, but she knew he was as good as gone now and she had no one to blame but herself. But, if she dwelled on the past, then she'd miss out on the present, and she'd be blind to the future.

Minato was glad to see his wife back to her old self at last. He felt happy to see a sliver of things looking up for them after four long years. His heart still ached every day with the thought of his oldest son though. As a father, he felt that he failed him. Had he been there to guide Naruto from the beginning, maybe his progress would have been a bit slower, but he would have had the chance to be a kid. If that happened, maybe he never would have had that run in with the snake Sanin and maybe, they'd still be a perfect family.

At this point, he was living off of those so called what if fantasies. Dreaming of them as hard as he could as if that would be enough to fix his wrong doings. Unlike Kushina, Minato was much better at hiding his pain. Of course, he had continuous piles of work to distract him as well. But, the issue with that is that, when you appear strong, no one tries to help you. No one cared to ask him how he felt about losing a son. During Naruto's trials, he was told he could have no say during the actual session as his word carried too much weight.

Minato, more than once, had the thought of saying 'fuck it' and just demanding his release, but as a Hokage in times of peace, he knew doing that would result in problems for the village. When most of the clan heads and the entire civilian council were against Naruto's freedom, he knew their response would have been as drastic as his thought of the Uchiha clan packing their things and leaving the village. He knew it would cripple the village immensely. As a father, he didn't care, but as a Kage, he had to. He had the rest of his family to think about as well. Konoha's enemies would jump at the opportunity to destroy them at any moment of weakness, so he had to sit by, watch the trial, and pray for the best.

The best never came of course, so now, he was fulfilling his duties as a Hokage, a husband, a father for his remaining two, and a future grandfather. Naruto would just be another painful memory he had every time he shut his eyes. His greatest regret in life, and his most heartbreaking failure. In time, he hoped he would be able to see him once more before his time was up, but he doubted it. With his status as Hokage, of course he had special clearance to visit him as he wished and he had tried before, but Inoichi said Naruto adamantly refused to see him, threatening violence is he was forced.

It was a slap to the face of course, and he couldn't understand why, but he didn't have to. If Naruto was happier living in solitude, then he was not going to force him to do anything. It still hurt like hell though. Signing off on the last document for the day, he leaned back into his chair with a sigh. Rolling out his neck, he turned his seat around to look out at the night sky, losing himself in thought. Thoughts of finally retiring so that he could finally spend some time with his family. It seemed all of his peers were doing so nowadays. Shikaku, Inoichi, and hell even Fugaku was getting ready to pass the strings over to Sasuke.

But, he wasn't ready to hand the hat down to his son just yet. In other words, Menma wasn't ready. He had just made it into ANBU last year so he was still learning how to follow orders. He was a long ways away from giving them though. 'Maybe Kakashi…' he thought with a chuckle mentally imagining the silver haired Jonin's protests. Sighing in content one last time, he got to his feet and left his office for the night. Ready to get home to his wife, and put his worried mind at ease.

* * *

The Asylum, still drenched in its white interior design was seeing the most excitement it had all day as Ino Yamanaka, the eighteen year old doctor, a chip off the old block from her father stood at the front desk requesting another patient. The skinny man behind it adamantly trying to tell her there were no more as they were all booked. "There is no freaking way!" she yelled out incredulously.

The man shook his head somberly. "I am truly sorry Dr. Yamanaka, but they were all cleaned out this morning. Ibiki-san made sure they were all dealt with for the coming month." He said.

"Yeah, he said he'd save one for me." She said in anger. The man just shrugged his shoulders looking around. There were no more clipboards left.

This was her second week and it was already off to a bad start. Last week was her first time stepping foot in this place but it got cut short thanks to an impromptu mission that required her abilities. This had been her goal for years. Her father would never let her come with him to even scout the place as he said it wasn't her time to be there. He wouldn't even talk about the cases as that would 'violate the doctor patient confidentiality rule'. Now that she was here, she was determined to prove herself an adequate psychologist.

Inoichi had tried to keep her from the profession by telling her she was just too delicate to deal with those crazy people within. At first she was inclined to agree with him, until he accented his statement by telling her she'd be 'better off working in the flower shop, picking daisies and what not.' That was not something you said to Ino Yamanaka. How dare he demean her prowess as a kunoichi like that!? She told him she was going to a psychologist whether he helped her or not.

So, she took off in her pursuit to prove him wrong for what he said and after a few weeks, her rage filled journey to attest his belittling statement slowly turned into her new passion. She wanted to help these people that were in there for varying reasons. That's all she wanted to do was help them. It's been two weeks since she received her official status as a psychiatric doctor, and she had yet to have a true case. She had two last week that were laughably easy, so much so that she'd have believed the men were faking the entire time. She wanted something that would test her skill and prove her father wrong at the same time. That's when her eyes landed on one more clipboard, in the far back of the administrative office, her trained eyes locked onto it.

The man turned towards it, unsure of whose it was as well. He walked back over to it and pulled it from the basket it was in. He read its content over, unsure why it was put in the back room like that. Reading the date it was last filled out, he gave a low 'whoa' upon impulse.

Ino waited patiently for him to tell her what it was until she ran out. "What is it?"

"It's an older case… man, look at this rap sheet." He said looking at the list of highly respected doctors that had worked on it. "Hey, I think your father worked on this one." He said walking back over to her. "Guess he had no luck either."

Ino snatched the clipboard from his hands and looked at the section he was talking about, not even glancing at the top. There were a ton of people she knew from her father to even Anko. The name that caught her eye immediately however was the very last one. 'Dr. Unayo Yager' the man who committed suicide two years back… meaning, this was his last case. The case that pushed him over the edge. Her heart dropped almost immediately when she read the name 'Naruto Namikaze' plastered at the top of the form.

"Maybe it was in the back for a reason…" the man said looking at the reactions play out on her face. When he didn't receive a reply, he tried to reach out and grab it from her. "Here, I'll ju-.."

"No!" she yelled a little louder than she meant to. Seeing his weird expression, she shook her head a bit before calming down. "i-I mean, no, I'll… I'll take the case…" she said as she placed it down on the counter and scribbled her signature beneath Dr. Yager's.

 **AN: …Oh yes, we all know where this is going. If not, then please stay tuned. I'm sure you'll love it. Till next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Welcome back! For those that are still here. I know of only two that left but I'm sure there are more. Regardless, I am thankful for those who have decided to stay. Now, this chapter is very low on action, but tension is high. Most of it is filler but this is a good introduction for Ino's actual character in this fic.**

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 6**

Leaving the Asylum with a lot of questions racking her mind, Ino strolled into town, ignoring the various catcalls and greetings she received on a daily basis. Her brain was working overtime trying to make sense of things. She knew Mito's brother had gotten locked up years ago, but why was he in the Asylum? Her one and only crush from all those years ago was now in a mad house, and he seemed to be the worst patient there. Her childhood crush of course died off over the years, but it was just a strange concept to her for some reason.

She thought about all the names written on his form. All of them very good psychologists and they were unable to help this one patient. Her dad and Ibiki were the two most prominent names on there of course as her father was a genius who she has never seen fail, and Ibiki because he wasn't even a psychologist. Why have a decorated interrogator with no knowledge of the subject try his hand at helping a patient that her father couldn't help? Same case with Anko, she was far from a caring person which is what they needed.

It didn't make sense, it was like they were trying to subdue him into sanity or something. With a goal in mind, she vowed to get answers from her father later on tonight when she went over for dinner. On her stroll through town, she heard her name being called from a distance, standing at the door of a Café was the very pregnant Sakura. "Hey! Ino! Over here!"

Changing her direction, she walked over and greeted her. "Hey, what are you doing out and about?" she asked her jogging in.

"I'm just having tea with Tenten." She said as they entered the café and joined the girl with two buns in her hair.

"Hey Ino" Tenten said with a wave as she stirred her cup of coffee around with intense focus.

"Hi Tenten, it's been a while." She said with a sigh.

"That's for sure." Sakura added with a smile.

Ino looked at the girl's stomach in astonishment. "Wow… you're getting so big." She said with a smile. "How many months are you?"

Sakura smiled at her taking it as a compliment. "Six months already. I can just feel her kicking me all day and night." She said rubbing her stomach. Ino smiled at her rubbing it as well.

"I am not looking forward to that." Tenten said with a chuckle.

Sakura glanced over to her. "Aw, you and Neji already planning?" she mocked her.

Tenten's eyes shot open with urgency. "w-What! No! We're ju-.. No!" muttered out urgently.

Ino and Sakura shared a laugh at her misfortune as she blushed in embarrassment. "Ah Tenten." Ino said within a sigh of relief. "I miss you guys."

"Well, you're the one who's been ducking out on everyone. Always studying or taking missions." Sakura said.

"Yeah, weren't you going for your psychiatric license or something? How'd that go?" Tenten asked.

Ino smiled and pulled her badge from her pouch. "Read it and weep ladies." She said.

Sakura and Tenten squealed quietly in excitement for the blonde. "Dr. Ino! Paging Dr. Ino." Sakura mocked.

Ino shrugged her shoulders with a beaming smile, not even addressing the joke. "I know, I'm amazing." She said in false arrogance.

"Ino, that's really cool. So what, you can like.. tell what a person is thinking? Just by their body language and speech patterns?" Tenten asked, given her limited knowledge on the subject.

Ino only chuckled, "Well, it's a little more complicated. But uh… yeah it's something like that."

"That really is cool, Ino." Sakura said nodding her head. "That's amazing. Now you're a double threat!" she said giving the girl a thumbs up and a smile. "Brains and beauty! All in one package!"

Ino smiled and flipped her hair dramatically. "Have I ever been anything less?"

Sakura and Tenten looked at each other, clearly implying she had, "well" the two quipped simultaneously inciting a 'screw you guys' and a round of laughter from the whole table.

When they calmed down, they settled into a brief silence in which they drank the drinks that were placed in front of them. Tenten finally broke the silence. "Seriously though Ino, you should definitely get you a man." She said suddenly.

Ino gave her a weird look, really wondering where it was this conversation came up from. "uhum, I think I'm fine for now." She replied.

"She's right Ino. I mean, we're eighteen. Most people in our profession don't make it this far… we're all very lucky." Sakura said. "You shouldn't waste the opportunity."

Ino nodded her head slowly. "I understand that. And god, you sound like my mother." She said rubbing her temples in annoyance. "I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment right now."

Tenten just felt like riling the girl up a bit. So with a mischievous smile creeping up on her face, she asked, "Aw.. what's wrong? Little miss princess can't get a date?"

Ino only chuckled at the sad attempt. "Please, I could have any guy I want. Problem is, I don't want any of them here."

"Why not? There are some really cute guys in Konoha nowadays." Sakura said.

Ino leaned back in her seat. "Oh yes, tons of cute guys that just expect me to be some dumb blonde bimbo who wouldn't know her own hand if she stuck it out in front of her." She said a little angrily.

"Ah, so they all think you're dumb?" Tenten asked. "Is that why you were doing the whole psychiatry thing?"

"What?" she exclaimed. "No. I'm just saying. Every guy I meet tries to treat me like I'm nothing more than a pretty face who ' _shouldn't be allowed to work in fear of damaging perfection_ '. Actual words from the last guy I tried to date."

"Aw, well that just seems like he was trying to be nice." Sakura said in sympathy.

Ino snorted. "Uh, no. Because then he said, ' _If you were my wife, you would never go out into the field again. Pretty girls like you don't last too long out there anyways_.'" She said mocking a deep man voice as best she could.

"Oh, yeah. That's a jerk." Tenten said. "Konoha has a lot of guys like that, but we've also got guys that are genuinely sweet."

"Mhm!" Sakura said in joy. "And I've got the best one." She said thinking about Menma while Tenten and Ino made fake puking gestures while her eyes were closed and laughed about it when she opened them wondering what happened.

"Okay Sakura." Tenten said. "We get it, you've got the prince of Konoha. For the rest of us though, it's hard… not for me of course. I've got my Neji… I meant Ino." She clarified.

"Gee thanks Tenten." Ino said with a deadpan look. "Look guys, I'll be fine. I just need time to adjust to my profession. Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone at work." She said.

"Ah, of course!" Sakura said a little too happy. "You'll fall in love with one of your coworkers who can see how smart and beautiful you are!" she cooed.

Tenten seemed to get the picture as well and she smiled. "Oh! That would be so.. cute." She said with a smile.

Ino just rolled her eyes at the two ridiculous girls coming up with her own love story as if they were plotting a romantic movie. "Yeah Ok Sakura" she said with a chuckle of her own.

* * *

Sitting in his room doing push up after push up, Naruto stared at the white wall with a blank expression. His white shirt discarded somewhere within his barren room. His breathing steady and unaltered from his activity. Every rep done with ease.

His mind was lost in thoughts that bounced around sporadically. He had no idea how long he had been trapped in this place. His last session was years ago. He didn't know how many, but he knew it was more than one. He hadn't seen another human being since then. The most he got was when a guard came by and pushed his tray of food through the slot at the bottom of the door. Other than that, isolation was his life.

The walls of white that surrounded him had driven him crazy long ago. He had tried all he could to escape this place, but it was impossible with him being inside his room every hour of every day. His last session was his last chance to escape and he tried to get the help of Dr. Yager, but the man was too weak minded for him to manipulate. He pushed too hard too fast and lost him. That was his last chance and he regretted his urgency.

Naruto was certain at this point that he would die in this room. He would die as he lived, alone. The world was truly intent on screwing him over until the very end. His whole life had been the setup and this, this isolation was the punchline. The bitter, cruel punchline. A punchline that he would fight till the very end. He wasn't ready to die just yet, he had things to do.

Ending his workout routine, he laid on his mat and stared at his ceiling. A task he's done so many times it was unbearable. When you're alone all the time, you learn a lot about yourself and what you want to do. Two years left Naruto enough time to know exactly what he wanted. He didn't want to make it out of their so that he could rejoin his family, no he was too far gone for that. He didn't want revenge on the people that put him in there, that was too… unnecessary of a task. Why dwell on the tools of your enemy? It wasn't the Uchiha clan or the council that was to blame for his suffering. It wasn't his father or Orochimaru, it was life in general.

Life was laughing at him, so he would return the favor and laugh at all of life and the people who enjoyed it. Whom ever happened to be in his path, he would cut down to do so. Whether it be his old friends or family it wouldn't matter. He had a goal, a mission. No longer was he a soldier of the leaf village. Or a shinobi even. Naruto Namikaze was an agent of chaos, and he would get them to see that the world they are living in is nothing but an illusion. Everyone was quick to demonize him when he was at his worst, so he would see how they reacted when they were at theirs. All he needed was a way out. Patience was key in this situation. Patience and luck, and he had time to spare.

* * *

Sitting at the dinner table, Ino twiddled her chopsticks around the plate her mother, Kiori, had prepared for her. Her father sat on the other side listening to her mother talk of some event that happened to her today while working the flower shop. Inoichi himself was far from interested but listened to his wife regardless. As a husband it was his duty.

Ino was still lost in the thought of her first true session that was set to take place tomorrow morning. It was nerve racking to think about. What if she failed? What if she wasn't able to help him? Would that make her a failure? If her own father couldn't even do it, could she just rationalize that he was just unsalvageable and just be done with it?

God, she was already coming up with excuses for why she failed. That wasn't a good sign. No, she would attack this task just as she had the previous week, with courage and professionality. Still, it couldn't have been a worse person. Naruto Namikaze had been the first and only person Ino has had a genuine crush on. Sure, she 'fawned' over Sasuke in the past when he was the guy every girl wanted, but that was just her younger self's attempt at maintaining popularity.

When she was younger, she was all about presentation. Because, the way you presented yourself meant absolutely everything in the social world. Standing out meant being different, and being different got you laughed at. It was a simple formula that is understood by even children. Ino knew it better than anyone and she knew how to manipulate it to suit her best. That was why she was good friends with Mito. Because Mito and Menma were outside of such a formula. Their village wide popularity transferred to the classrooms and playgrounds without them doing anything. They were loved, and if you were friends with one of them, then you were loved.

That's what her reasoning was when she was younger, but in truth, it was the boy she had seen and fallen in love with years before she even met the two. 'Fallen in love' used loosely of course as she was only five. Five years old and she witnessed this nine year old Genin boy rescuing her cat that was stuck in a tree. Cliché of course, but to her five year old self, it was the most amazing thing she had seen. She didn't even ask him to. When she ran to find help, she returned to see him walking up the tree with no hands! Which was a big thing for her at the time. He brought the cat down and pet it a few times before setting it free. Just a random act of kindness.

The cat ran back to her, rubbing its body on her leg, but she watched that nine year old boy walk away until she could no longer see him. Thinking about how cool he looked, and how nice he must've been to just randomly save a cat. At that moment, her crush sprang to life even though she had never spoken to him. She would however see him walking around the village when she went out with her mom. He never noticed her though of course, as he wasn't interested in five year olds. Meeting him at her tenth birthday party was the best day of her life.

The thought of how ridiculous the start of her first crush came about always made her smile. It was a sign of pure innocence on her part, and it made her realize how much things have changed. Now girls, including herself, fell in love with a guy who could do something for them. It was a sad truth but a truth none the less. Saving her cat from a tree wouldn't be enough this time around. Sometimes she wished it was.

"Ino dear." Kiori said getting her attention. "Are you alright? Do you not like the food?"

Ino shook her head to focus back into the conversation. "Uh, no mom. I uh, I was just thinking is all…" she said taking a bite to reassure her.

"You ok?" Inoichi asked, noticing how spaced out she seemed.

She nodded her head vigorously. "Mhm. I was just thinking." She repeated. Her mother got a mischievous smile.

"ooh, was it about a boy?" she said in amusement.

Ino rolled her eyes. "No, Kaa-san." She said.

"What boy?" Inoichi asked comically aggressive.

"There is no boy Tou-san. Your wife is just drunk." She said with a chuckle as her mother just mocked her laugh and took another sip of her wine.

"Two glasses, I've only had two." She said with a grin.

Inoichi just chuckled at the woman before looking back to Ino. "Two too many." He said jokingly as he and Ino chuckled at her misfortune. She just hummed a song over their laughter before heading back to the kitchen to fetch the desert. "Sooo…" he said drawing her attention back. "Will there ever be a boy?" he asked… hopefully?

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. "Uhm… why?" she asked timidly.

Inoichi shrugged his shoulders shoveling another piece of food into his mouth. "I don't know… I mean, you don't want to wait too long you know?" he said.

"Tou-san?" she said timidly. "Are you saying I need a boyfriend?" she asked him cautiously.

"No, no of course not." He said quickly so that she didn't get the wrong idea. "No, I'm not saying you **need** one. I'm just saying, if you wait too long.. it may be too late."

"God, I'm getting this talk from you too?" she asked in exasperation. At that moment, her mother walked back in with the desert in her hands. "Tou-san, I'd really rather work on establishing myself in my profession first before I think about all of that."

"Oh" Ino's mother bud in. "Are you guys talking about your new patient?" she asked.

'Fuck' Ino thought. She was hoping to wait till a bit later before she told her dad. She told her mom earlier that day. Inoichi was curious now. "New patient?" he asked. "Geeze, what is that? Three now?" he asked her. Ino nodded with a smile, hoping he didn't ask more questions. Against her as always, he pressed on. "Wow, you'll break records working like that." Then the inevitable. "Who is it?"

Ino paused, she was unsure of how her father would feel about her taking on a case that was clearly dangerous. She was timid because she hadn't told her mother the name either. She could always lie, but with his connections within the Asylum, it would probably get back around to him anyways. Figuring she had nothing to lose from it, she spit it out. "It's uh…" damn it, she paused. She could see the worry rise up on his face. "It's Naruto Namikaze."

… The room fell completely silent. So silent you could probably hear someone blink in the other room. Inoichi was just staring at Ino, his face set in a completely stoic expression. Ino met his eye contact with a bashful look that refused to back down. Kiori was shocked as well and was looking back and forth between the two, worry rising up in the pit of her stomach.

Inoichi slowly began shaking his head as he sat back in his seat. "hm-m." he said shaking his head more vigorously.

"Tou-san I know what yo-.."

"Nope."

"Tou-sa-.."

"No."

"Look I-.."

"No, Ino. Find another patient." He said trying to keep calm.

She chuckled. "Tou-san, there are no other patie-.."

"No!" he yelled out. Kiori was trying to calm the two down but was being ignored by both.

Not one to be out done, Ino got over her shock. "What the hell do you mean no!? I can d-.."

"No way in **hell**!" he said over Ino's attempts at explaining.

"I can handle this!" she yelled out standing to her feet and leaning on the table in anger.

Inoichi got to his feet as well. "You don't know what the **hell** you're doing!"

"Yes I **do**! I'm a licensed doctor!" she yelled.

"No Ino! You're not doing it!" he yelled out.

"Yes. I. Am!" she yelled back.

"I said no!" This one stopped them in their tracks, the entire room retreated into silence again. They had never seen him so angry before. Inoichi plopped back down into his chair and rubbed his eyes, trying to calm down. "Ino… he's not… he is not a regular patient… Ok, he is far from being someone you can handle."

"Tou-san, I'm better than you thi-.."

"Ino!" he yelled hitting the table making her fold back into her chair "Listen. To. Me." he said slowly so that she could understand. "You don't know what he is… He is out of your league completely…" he finished letting the statement hang in the air for her to understand.

Ino's arms were folded over her chest as she stared at the table waiting for him to finish. When he didn't say anything further, she looked up to him with an annoyed expression. "Can I talk now?" she asked rhetorically. Inoichi didn't say anything so she took it as a yes. "Tou-san, I am a grown woman… I am going to do this… because I know I can help him." She said slowly, nodding her head at him.

"Ino..." he said solemnly. "You're right… you are a grown woman, and I have no authority over you… but… As your father… I am… **begging** you." He said on the verge of tears, shocking both his wife and daughter. "Please… don't do this."

Ino's heart was breaking bit by bit with each word he spoke. She couldn't describe it, but she just felt as though she just… had to do this. It was a compelling feeling in her heart that told her if she didn't she'd regret it for the rest of her life. So, even though it would break his heart right now, when she finally cured the Namikaze, he would see that she did the right thing. "Tou-san… I know you won't understand right now… but… I have to do this."

Inoichi sighed and rubbed the tears from his eyes. He looked back into her fiery eyes and could tell just from the look she was giving that she had absolutely no intentions of changing her mind. That being said, he had no words for her. He shook his head and apologized on his way out the room. Kiori called out to him but he continued on his way, leaving the two at the table with the uneaten desert.

Ino's own eyes were watering, knowing she was hurting her father. Kiori moved her seat next to Ino's. Sitting down, she wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about him. Your father just worries for you." Ino sniffled and wiped her eyes. "He just needs some time. Ok?" Ino nodded into her shoulder. It would take time, but he would be alright. She just had to give him time.

* * *

Sitting at the metal table with the light hanging over the top, Ino straightened the documents out in front of her. She was trying hard to get her breath under control. Her hands refused to stop shaking. She had on her lab coat over a purple blouse and a black skirt. Her hair set up in a loose bun on top of her head and her usual bang tucked behind her ear. She was waiting for her patient, truly considering turning back now.

No, she had to do this. She just had to. Blowing out the breath caught in her throat she lowly whispered words of encouragement to herself as she tried to go over her game plan for this session. First thing she had to do was understand where he is mentally. What his daily thought process looked like. She had to do so without letting him get the upper hand on her which was something Ibiki warned her about, saying with him it was definitely a possibility.

Her heartbeat was noticeably faster than it should be, and she continued to straighten the documents on her desk as a way to pass the time. Every time she heard footsteps coming down the hall, she steadied herself only to be let down when they continued pass the room. This time however, there was an added sound of chains jingling as well, for some reason, she knew it was him.

Slowly, the door opened up and one of the guards stepped in first, nodding his head to the blonde. She nodded back, gulping down the lump in her throat. Finally, her patient entered the room surprising her completely by his new appearance. Mainly because she was expecting a blond. Instead, he walked in with his red shaggy hair bouncing around on his head. A muzzle secured around his mouth, a straitjacket tightly wrapped around his frame, and shackles hugging his ankles.

His own blue eyes were locked onto her paler shades with a look she couldn't quite describe. With the mask on, it was hard to tell. The guard that sat him down took the chain from his belt line and hooked it into the back rings on Naruto's straight jacket, then hooked the ends to the hooks on the floor behind his chair, making sure it was secure. When that was done, he turned to Ino asking her if she needed anything else before they began. When she said no, he unlocked the muzzle around Naruto's face and removed it before exiting the room informing Ino they would be right outside.

Now, they were all alone, and she could see his full expression. She could see it, but still couldn't pinpoint what it was. It was like a mixture between excitement and hope? He had a small grin on his face and his intense stare hadn't left her since he walked in.

Coughing into her hand, she straightened up. "Hello Naruto… I am D-.."

"Doctor Ino Yamanakaaa…" he said drawling out her last name eerily.

"So, you remember me." She stated.

His smile only grew. "You have a name tag." He said nodding down to her chest where her ID badge dangled.

Ino looked down at it with a bashful reply of "o-Oh. Of course…" she said whispering the last part lowly. Coughing into her hand again, she grabbed one of the documents from the table. "Ok… what we're gonna do…" she whispered lowly, avoiding his eye contact by reading the papers she had read a thousand times over before this point. "We'll uh…"

"You're shaking…" he teased looking at the paper in her hand as it quivered and quacked in fear. Ino quickly gulped down the new lump that piled into her throat, whispering a 'sorry' that he could barely hear.

Naruto watched the woman fumble over herself and her words with excitement. This was definitely his chance. He could see it now, all he had to do was play his cards right. Better than he did with Dr. Yager. Just by watching her, he could tell she was completely underqualified. Ino tucked her hands under the table to keep them from his view.

Coughing yet again, she finally found some courage. "Um.. I will be handling your sessions from now on… and I want to do my best to help you." She said. Naruto gave her a look as if he were judging the sincerity in her statement. "a-I uh… I understand a few doctors before me have tried before."

"Oh yes, they have." He said nodding his head. "So, what makes you so different besides your pretty face?" he asked flashing his cheeky grin.

Ino grinned back and brushed off the compliment. "Well, I don't intend on quitting."

Naruto chuckled. "Persistence is your angle." He stated nodding his own head as if approving. "Well, I'd probably guess they didn't plan on quitting either."

Ino brought a shaking hand up to secure her bang behind her ear and immediately put it back down. Naruto's eyes followed the appendage the whole way. "No, I doubt they did." She replied.

His smile receded a bit, "Do I scare you.. Dr. Yamanaka?" he asked her with a glint in his eyes. Ino was examining every inch of his face. Trying to convince herself that he didn't before she could try and convince him. Was it fear she felt? Or just anxiety?

"No." she said flatly trying to hold her composure. The way her eyes twitched in an effort to keep the eye contact told him otherwise.

Naruto's smile grew again in a psychotically innocent way. "Good." He quipped. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. I get enough of that around here." Step one of his plan, emotional manipulation.

Ino was interested in that. This was her window to pry. "People are afraid of you?" she asked as if she didn't already know. In other words, she bit hard.

Naruto's smile fell into an expression that rested somewhere between reminiscent and sad then layered it with an obviously fake attempt at a half smile. "They've always been afraid of me…" he said zoning off.

"Is there a reason they should be?" Ino asked.

Naruto looked at her curiously. "Well… I'm a bad person. People are usually afraid of the bad guy."

Ino had no words. That was as true a statement as it could be. People are afraid of the bad guys. From his rap sheet, he was the worst of the worst, but she had to play the part to gain his trust. "I don't think you're a bad guy."

Naruto just stared at her, no smile no emotion what so ever. Then, he chuckled. "Yeah, I doubt that." He said.

"I'm serious. You may have done some bad things in the past, but that doesn't make you a bad person."

"Well then. What makes one a 'bad person'?" he asked her putting dramatic influence on 'bad person'.

Ino tucked her bang back before it fell loose again, this time her hand was steady which Naruto noticed. "Well." She began. "A bad person is someone who…" she stopped to think about it. She had to say something that she knows he hasn't done. She didn't know him personally so she just had to guess. "Someone who does bad things… and doesn't feel bad about doing those bad things."

Naruto just stared at her, clearly not agreeing. He then leaned forward until the chain caught him. "Dr. Yamanaka… you're a shinobi right?" he asked her suddenly. So this is what her father's notes meant by his tendency to jump around topics. She nodded her head. "If I were to guess your rank… I'd sayyy ANBU?"

She was a bit flattered by that, but shook her head. "No, I only made it to Jonin." She said.

He nodded his head. "Well, even so. As a Jonin, I assume you've spent time in the field." He stated his question. She nodded in response. "And in this time in the field… I am willing to bet you have taken more than a few lives." He said.

She paused now seeing where he was going with this. "y-Yes I have."

"So… do you?" he asked her suddenly. She gave him a look that said she didn't understand the question. "Do you feel bad about taking those lives?"

She scratched her eyebrow in thought. "I uh… No." she said. "No I don't."

He gave her a confused look. "Then that would… make _you_ a bad person as well?" he asked her.

Ino sighed, thinking about her answer. "Well no. Not necessarily." She replied.

"But… you did something bad, and you don't feel bad about it." He said looking at her as if she were an unfinished puzzle.

"Well, those people I killed they were… well, they were bad people." She said in haste.

"Bad how?"

She again smoothed her pesky bang back before it fell again. "They would have killed my friends if they had the chance." She said.

"But, they were shinobi as well right?" he asked, she nodded her head. "Soldiers… following orders are considered bad people as well then? Then boy do I got news for you." He said flashing her that cheeky grin.

"What would you consider a bad person?" she asked him suddenly.

He stopped to think about it. "Hmm… what do I consider a bad person?" He leaned back and stared up at the light as if it had the answer written on it. "Well, that's a bit of a tough one. You see, I personally believe that there are certain levels to the uh, the.. 'bad guy' spectrum." He said, again accenting those two words. "There is bad.. there is corrupt.. and then there is evil…" he said letting that ring for a moment. "These 'bad' individuals will inflict pain upon others and will know that what they are doing is wrong. Right? They will know it is wrong but will continue to do so for various reasons, usually to protect something they care about or need to survive. Those are your uh, your robbers, your everyday murders, shinobi and what not." He said nodding her way to make sure she understood.

"So, you believe shinobi are bad people?" she asked him.

"Oh, the worst of the bad. They are someone's 'evil', which I will get to in a moment." He said. "But then, there are people who will… see an opportunity. They will see an opportunity to better themselves and will take it regardless if it would hurt others around them. They will know it will hurt someone, but will do it anyways, not out of spite for that person, just for the improvement of themselves and only themselves. People like uh Orochimaru for example." He said nodding again.

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. So, it was revenge on his mind? She couldn't know yet, she had to be sure.

"Orochimaru… is a man who is rotten to the core. He wishes to better himself so he undergoes these horrendous crimes in order to do so. This man has murdered countless men, women, and children, all for the sake of gaining more power. That in itself is corruption in its truest meaning." He explained.

"But, you wouldn't call that evil?" she asked him.

Naruto chuckled. "Oh no. Evil is something that is completely different. You see, evil individuals… well, they don't know they're evil." He explained. "They believe whole heartedly that they are righteous in their actions. So, in theory. An evil individual to you… would probably believe you're evil… That's what I meant when I said a shinobi is somebodies evil." He said leaning back in his chair, finished with his rant.

Ino really wanted to refute the redhead's theory, but damn, it was fairly accurate. It made more sense than just marking every individual that has ever wronged you an evil person. It brought a new perspective to her mind about the people she considered bad people. "So.. which one are you?" she asked him.

Naruto grinned. "Well, that's what you're here to find out, right?" he asked.

"Not gonna make it easy for me?" she asked him with a grin of her own.

He tilted his head from left to her with a thoughtful look. "I could, but… Where's the fun in that?"

* * *

(3 days later)

Laying in her bed, Ino thought back to her conversation with Naruto. For the past three days, she has been wondering why it was everything he said made so much sense. It was unfathomable to think that she would actually agree with the philosophy of someone locked in a mad house. It amazed her more so than anything. Amazing in the way that it had to be the most intellectual conversation she had ever had in her life. Of course, she only really got invested in her book smarts a little over a year ago, but still. Never before had she had a conversation like that.

She actually questioned why it was her father didn't want her to do this. He once told her that the reason he enjoyed working at the Asylum so much was because of the new viewpoints he would hear when talking to them. Claiming he believed some of them just saw life in a very different light than normal people do. Well, she definitely understood now. Naruto was like a book written by a scholar from another universe. His views on the world were so unique that he just made you want to listen. She couldn't understand how the redhead wasn't his favorite patient at one point or another. She'd ask, but they weren't talking these days.

When he came around, she would be sure to question him on what it was he and Naruto would talk about. Or, maybe if she got close enough, she could ask Naruto. Try and figure out what spooked him so much. Ino simply thought her father's fear for her working with him derived solely from the suicide of Dr. Yager. Ino couldn't accept that. It was too outrageous to be true.

She knew Dr. Yager had done it after a few conversations with Naruto, but for a man as level headed as he was she doubted the redhead himself was responsible for pushing him over the edge. There had to be something else going on in his life that pushed him to the edge of that abyss. Some people are just great at hiding their true feelings. With him being a veteran psychologist, Ino could guess he was better than most.

Ino also knew Naruto was responsible for more than a few suicides within the prison, but she had to rationalize it logically. Those men were in a maximum security prison, possibly for life, meaning they were most likely already at the end of their rope. Listening to the pessimistic views of Naruto would have been the most unfortunate thing for them at the time. He was very convincing if nothing else.

Checking the time, Ino sighed and stood to her feet. It was almost six o'clock. Meaning she should start getting ready. Tonight she was set up for a blind date with a guy Tenten had met a few days back. Apparently he was a wealthy merchant's oldest son or something. Tenten was very vague on her description. She really didn't want to go out tonight since she had just gotten back from a mission that afternoon and she had her second session with Naruto in the morning. But, Tenten insisted that she needed this so, she figured she'd give the guy a chance.

After showering, she picked out a form fitting black dress that had one strap on her right shoulder, and she picked out a pair of heels to match. She let her hair down for once and allowed her bang to cover her right eye. Then, she waited on her couch for the knock at her door. She waited… and waited… and waited until finally, forty-five minutes late, there was a knock at her door.

Standing up and sighing, she walked over deciding to just ignore it. Opening the door, a fairly attractive yet skinny guy stood there, leaning against her door frame on his forearm, trying to look cool. He had shaggy brown hair that was casually pushed to the side and held there with a little bit of jell, black eyes that traveled her form in approval, and an unimpressive build that seemed as if he hadn't done a single push up in years. His suit was nice though. Ino stared at him unimpressed as he pulled a rose from behind his back.

"You must be Ino." He said with a smile. "My name is Hidori."

Ino raised an eyebrow at him as she took the rose. "Thanks." She said. Holding it up, she noticed it was one of the free roses from her mother's shop that was set there for the kids to take for their mothers and what not. It wasn't even real. "I'll just go put this in water real quick." She said stepping back inside. He nodded at her and she shut the door. Leaning against it, she looked up to her ceiling, cursing Tenten out in her mind. She threw the rose in the trashcan a few feet away and opened the door again.

Stepping out, Hidori was still smiling at her. He held his arm out for her to grab onto his forearm. She turned around and locked her door before begrudgingly grabbing onto his outstretched appendage.

* * *

Sitting at a table within the white dragon, the most expensive restaurant in Konoha, Ino stared at Hidori as he tried to explain to the waitress that he wanted a different kind of wine that they just didn't have. "I am sorry sir, this is our most expensive." She said holding it out to him.

"Are you serious? Wow, I thought Konoha was a little more classy than this." He said under his breath, insulting both the waitress and Ino. The waitress looked over at Ino visually asking her if she was serious. Ino just sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you gonna stand there or pour it?" he asked her rudely. She just smiled and poured their glasses. When she walked away, Ino took a sip of the wine. Hidori looked at her apologetically as if he expected her to be offended by the taste. "I'm so sorry. Tenten told me this place was the best." He explained.

Ino just raised her eyebrows. "It's better than anything I've ever had." She said taking another sip of the wine.

He chuckled as if it were a joke. "Are you serious? Oh wow, that's sad."

Ino just shrugged her shoulders. "Fine dining isn't a luxury most shinobi villages have." She informed him.

"Oh, I'd beg to differ." He said smelling his glass of wine. "Kumo has this amazing restaurant called the Mountain top and, god. That place has the best scenery and high class wine." Again, he whispered under his breath, "Not this shit."

Ino was beyond annoyed at this point. "That sounds lovely." She remarked with a fake smile.

"Oh it was. I'll take you someday. Maybe for our honeymoon." He said slyly with a chuckle as he looked around for the waitress, missing the death glare she sent his way. "Hello! Excuse me!" he yelled to the waitress that sat them who was currently serving another table. Her smile dropped when she saw who called him.

"She's helping someone." Ino informed him as if he were blind.

Hidori just shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. We're VIP. Hey! Yeah, we'd like to order!"

Ino was on the verge of kicking the shit out of this pretentious prick. Her hunger at that moment just so happened to outweigh her irritation, lucky for him. The waitress came up with a stoic expression. "May I take your order?" she asked pulling out her notepad.

"Well, I mean if you're not too busy." He said sarcastically holding up the menu. The waitress rolled her eyes when he was no longer looking. "Ok, well I'll have the uh… the Shrimp platter, hopefully that's edible." He joked. Ino sighed in frustration again pulling up her menu ready to order.

She ordered a plate of Sushi and ignored the look of surprise from Hidori. "Wow, that's impressive." He said as the waitress walked away.

"What? Ordering normally?" she asked.

He smiled. "Nah, most girls that look like you don't really eat that much." He remarked.

She mocked his smile with her own. "Yeah. Impressive."

From there, the date continued in the same horrible way it had been going. Ino couldn't wait to get the food. She tried to at least make conversation with him so that he didn't patronize anyone else further. This man had to be the most uneducated person she had ever met. If it wasn't about the trade market he didn't know what she was talking about. To make matters worse, he had the audacity to insult her intelligence when she told him she was a Psychiatrist. Just before she got ready to slap the shit out of him, the waitress returned having read her mind.

"Here you go sir." She said handing him his plate of food. He was confused when she handed Ino a to-go box. "I took the liberty of packing your stuff ma'am." She said with a wink.

Hidori gave the girl a confused look until Ino stood up. "You. Are. a lifesaver." She said pulling out a big tip for the girl. "Thank you so much." She said hugging her. Hidori was so confused when Ino walked around the table and slapped him in the side of the head hard enough to jerk his head to the side.

"Ah! What the hell!?" he yelled out as she walked away. "Got damn, you bitch." He said under his breath. Another hand jerked his hand the other way. "Ah!" the waitress looked at him daringly. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Where is the owner!" he yelled out getting to his feet trying to threaten her. Soon, a big man in a business suit walked out of the backroom to deal with the commotion he heard. Hidori gave the waitress an angry look that promised her she was going to get fired.

She only smirked at him until she heard the man call out. "What is going on out here?" he demanded walking over to the table.

Then, she began dramatically crying. "Daddy! He hit me!" she yelled out pointing at him.

Hidori began pleading his case yelling to the surrounding customers who witnessed what happened. To his horror, they sided with the waitress making up a ridiculous story that did not happen. Ino watched from the door with a smile before heading home. Thankful they get an amazingly convenient waitress.

 **AN: And so it begins, lets see how it plays out. Till next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Welcome back! Writers block plagued me during the creation of this chapter, but I've finally gotten something written, not as much as I usually write, but it is something. More importantly, I have finally planned out the ending to this story. I've had the plot lined up for a while now, but no true plan for how it would end, until now. It's fitting if nothing else.**

 **Before we begin, I'd like to address some of the people who left because of the last chapter… again, I don't see why you people need to explain to me why you are leaving. If you want to leave, then by all means, make good use of your back buttons. Those people said their reason for leaving was because, "Naruto doesn't want revenge, ugh." Like, dude that is the most basic plot line in the history of Naruto fanfiction. Back out of this story and click on the next one, and I am almost certain it will be a revenge driven plot.**

 **Which brings me to my next point, don't be stupid. I said, "He didn't want revenge." Meaning, he's not going to go looking for it. Not that he won't get it. Revenge is just not his motive for doing the things he does. Read between the lines here people!**

 **And then, there is one person who I truly must address personally. He reviewed as "guest" and made absolutely no sense in what he was trying to say. I translated it roughly to, "** _ **Hey, we don't want bad Naruto who does all the evil things then dies in the end. I think you are obsessed with the Joker and you want Naruto to be like him.**_ **"… *que hysterical laughter* This is exactly what I said. The Naruto in this story, MY STORY, is based off of the Joker, as was mentioned in chapter five. The reason I all-capped 'MY STORY' is because that is what it is. So, comments like "We don't want…" will be promptly ignored since this is a story derived from my mind. If this is not what you want, then I urge you to write your own story. Please, I'd love to read it.**

 **Important!- I am going to be using pieces of a poem I read a while back. I can't remember who it was by or exactly what it said, but if you see similarities, then just know I didn't come up with it. Oh and I'm adding a wink. I'm sure you'll catch it... *wink***

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 7**

Again, sitting at the metal table, Ino waited for the guard to finish securing Naruto to his seat. When he finished, he removed the muzzle from around his mouth before shutting the door, leaving the two to their second session. Ino smiled softly at him. She was still a little uncomfortable, but at the very least she wasn't as nervous.

Naruto was smiling at her in a fake expression of surprise. "You came back." He quipped with the idea to show her that he was unsure she would.

Ino raised an eyebrow. "I told you I would." Did he really think she wouldn't?

"Oh yes, but many people have told me that."

Ino nodded. "I'm sure. But, I meant it." He smiled at her as she began flipping through her notepad.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" he asked her.

"Just a few questions." Ino answered reading a few lines. It was time for her get a gauge on how this apparent psychosis affected him physically. "How are your dreams?"

"Deep, dark, and viciously intoxicating." He answered instantly.

She gave him a confused expression. "Would you care to elaborate?"

Naruto sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, there's not much to say. Its pretty self-explanatory." He said. "They arrre darker than most people would prefer… uh, a little more nightmarish if you could see that."

"So, nightmares?" she asked him.

Naruto chuckled. "If you'd prefer that then I suppose." He nodded.

Ino nodded back, jotting a few notes down on the notepad. "Do these nightmares have any specific pattern or theme?" she asked.

"No, I can't say they do." She nodded again and wrote more down.

"Well, do you ever have happy dreams?" she asked him.

Naruto chuckled. " _Happy_.. dreams?" he asked putting emphasis on happy as if it were the most ridiculous word he's ever heard. "Is than an actual term?" he asked her.

"What? Happiness?" she asked, he nodded in confirmation. "Well, of course it is."

He smiled, "You seem so sure of that. What is happiness for you then?"

Ino put her notepad down and tapped her pen on the desk in thought. "Happiness is… doing the things you like to do… with the people you enjoy being with." She said.

"I'm not sure I understand that." He admitted. "Do you have an example?"

She thought over it. "Well…" Now that she was forced to think about it, she realized she really didn't do anything anymore that brought her joy. Ever since she began her psychiatric studies, she pretty much fell off of the social life she was accustomed to when she was younger. That day at the coffee shop with Sakura and Tenten was the first thing she had done with friends in years, but for some reason, she felt out of place. She felt different because of how shallow the conversation was. After so long of training with professionals whose job was to dig into deeper dialect, anything less was just rudimentary and agonizingly boring.

She felt lost when talking to them of the simple things they were accustomed to. Talking of children, and relationships, and the normal gossip around the village, it was almost sickening that day, but she smiled through it none the less. Then, that same night at her parent's house, their conversation, aside from the argument, was shallow as well. Her mother, she understood, wouldn't have the mental prowess to delve into deeper conversation. But, her father she expected more from. Problem is he still sees her as a child, not a practiced psychiatrist so he has no interest in talking with her in that way.

In her studying, she found that depth in discussion is what brought her joy. When she returned to her life, she realized how shallow her everyday life is. Even her previous two patients, who were seen as normal patients, were too shallow minded for her to actually have a conversation with. The only time she truly got her fix was right here. She looked up at the redhead who smiled her way. They only just began their second session, and she realized he was the only person willing and able to bring about that feeling of happiness.

She just realized how long she was taking to think over his question, she blinked away her thoughts. "Umm… well, like you and I… our sessions." She said truthfully.

"So, this uh... this psychotic battle of two insane minds?" he asked her with a grin.

She was shocked by that. "You think I'm insane?"

He smiled at her. "Of course I do. You, Miss Yamanaka, have an amazing mind. And everyone knows that all great minds have just a touch of madness." He explained. "For inspiration."

"That's nice." She complimented his words. "Is that an original?"

He chuckled. "I wish. No, I read something similar before. Can't remember where. But, it's true none the less."

"I suppose it's reasonable." She replied.

"Oh it is." He said wiggling in his seat. "Miss Yamanaka?" Ino looked at him in questioning. "What would be your idea of a perfect world?" he asked curiously.

She was shocked by the sudden question and thought over her answer. "A perfect world?" she asked, giving herself more time. Naruto nodded. "Well… a perfect world in my opinion, would be a world with no wars, no fighting, no killing, just… good people, I guess." She replied. He looked at her strangely.

"The last time you were here, we spoke about what makes one a 'bad person' and I'd like to think I gave you a new perspective on it." He said. "But, I'm curious now. In this 'perfect world' of yours, what makes one a 'good person'?" he asked.

Putting her on the spot again, she had to think about it. "Well, it would be a generally good person." She said giving a basic answer.

"Yes, but what would qualify? I mean, in this fictitious world of yours, you said there would be 'just good people'." He said in a way mocking her word choice.

She nodded her head, not fully understanding what he was trying to say. "Yeah, so the people are just.. good people overall." She restated with a chuckle, not sure how else to put it.

"Redundant, but let me explain my take on what this so called 'perfect world' would be. Actually, I think we're close to it." He said.

She gave him a confused look. "The world right now?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded his head. "It's all about a simple concept of balance. 'You can't have this without that' type of deal." He explained with a nod. "No light without dark, no hot without cold… no good without bad." He said.

"How would that apply here?" she asked.

"Well, think about it. What is a 'good man' if he hasn't the option to be evil? There's a word for it." He said nodding his head. "Without the option to be evil, as is described in your impeccable world, a good person is just normal. And in a world with so many possibilities, normality is a sin."

She nodded at the sound logic, but wasn't satisfied just yet. "Normality, as you call it, is also safe." She replied.

He grinned. "In a life so short, safety is but a handicap. A mental blockade that is triggered when in the face of danger. A uh.. natural fear of death for these civilized people which is kind of ironic if you think about it." He said.

"Ironic in what way?" she asked wanting a little insight.

"Well." He began. "It's just ironic how these sane individuals are so afraid of death, and yet they live as if they are already there."

She shook her head. "I still don't follow."

Naruto looked up in thought, trying to think of another way to put it. "Well, think about fish in a stream." He said nodding his head. "Only the dead ones go with the flow. In a way, most of the people you see when you walk those village streets do the same thing almost absent mindedly, as if they are already dead."

"So, you don't fear death?" she asked him curiously.

He tilted his head and eyed her strangely. "How could I know?" he asked. "I haven't tried it." Ino chuckled at his joke. "No Doctor, I do not fear death, because death is nothing more than the ending to suffering. In honesty I'd welcome it." He continued, getting serious.

Ino looked at him strangely. "So, you want to die?"

"No, no, no." he said quickly. "It's not a matter of being suicidal. No, it's just not wanting to live any longer." She was about to ask him what he meant by that but he continued. "I know how that sounds, but it's actually something completely different than what you'd expect. Suicide is described as taking your own life. That's not what I am looking to do. No, if death approaches me, I would welcome it. I do not plan on looking for it." He explained.

"Why is that?" she asked. "Do you feel none content with life?"

Naruto cringed at the question as if it slapped him in the face. "Nu- you see. _That_ , doctor, is the problem." He said. "If you simply feel ' _content'_ with life, then you're not living. If all you feel is that mediocre sense of enjoyment with the life you are given, then you ma'am are as good as a dead fish."

"How do you… cope with the horrible things that happen in your life?" She asked in complete bewilderment. This wasn't a question on the agenda, she just really wanted to know. "Especially in a place like this?"

Naruto smiled at the look of awe in her eyes, whatever he was doing, it was working. "Coping is of no issue… My mind is constantly changing and contorting in the most demented ways you could imagine. There are so many voices up here that life, and the things that happen usually slip my fragile mind."

Ino's smile was wide and filled with astonishment. "That sounds amazing."

"It definitely has its upsides." He said with a smile at her glossy eyed stare.

Ino smiled and leaned back in her seat, thinking over his words. Although it took her a second to process what he was saying half the time, when she did, she sort of agreed and it assured her that talking to Naruto was the best conversation she had throughout her days as of recently. It was refreshing to be able to talk to someone on your level of thinking, or in this case, far surpass her own. This whole ordeal was going too smoothly for anything that happened with the past doctors to be true. From what she was experiencing, Naruto was nothing more than a deep thinker. Yeah he had a twisted view on society and some psychopathic tendencies, but he wasn't dangerous. Or, maybe she just hadn't seen the worst in him yet.

* * *

(2 months later)

"I don't know Menma. It didn't really work out the last time." Minato said leaning back in his Hokage seat, staring over at his son dressed in his street clothes.

"Come on Tou-san. That was two years ago." He argued. "I just.. hate how incomplete the family feels." He said looking down.

Minato sighed. "Believe me, I get it." He remarked. "But, digging all that up will upset your mother… She just got over the whole ordeal."

"Then don't tell her." He said arguing his case. "I just want to see him.. I don't know, maybe tell him about my family and all."

"I would have to talk to his new psychiatrist to see how he's been doing." Minato said while he simultaneously shook his head as if telling him it wouldn't happen.

"New psychiatrist? I thought he wasn't taking sessions anymore."

Minato nodded. "Well, he wasn't up until a few weeks ago. Apparently someone took his case."

"Well, do you know who it is?" He asked.

He shook his head. "No, I haven't had a chance to go and check up on things in a while." He admitted. "Last time was about three or four months ago and he was still on lockdown so."

"Well, if you hear anything then just let me know." He said turning to leave before Minato called him back.

"Hey, hang on. About that other thing, well everyone seems to be on board. Shouldn't take more than another few months." He said bringing a smile to the younger man's face.

Menma chuckled as he walked closer to the door. "Just make sure that paperwork is done by then old man."

Minato chuckled and shook his head, ignoring the statement. Going back to his work, he thought over just how that conversation began. Basically, Menma wanted to visit Naruto before his daughter was born just to speak with him one last time. For what reason, he didn't know. It was a sudden request that he doubted would go over well but would entertain it at the least.

Signing off on another document, there was a knock at his door. "Come in." he called out pushing the paper off to the side.

Inoichi walked in looking worse for wear. Bags under his eyes, slouched shoulders, and an expression so downtrodden that it'd be hard not to notice. "Minato… hey." He called out to him lowly.

"Inoichi." Minato said looking him up and down, noticing his disgruntled state. "You look rough."

He chuckled and took a seat in a chair off to the side. "Yeah…" he said hollowly.

Silence settled in for a second. "So, how can I help you?" Minato asked cautiously.

Inoichi sighed and thought about how he could answer that. "I uh.. well I have a request to make." He said surprising him. Minato just waited for him to spit it out. "I want you to uh… well, I just want you to think it over..." he said.

"What is it?" Minato questioned, not liking the direction this conversation was headed.

Inoichi stared out at the floor a few feet in front of him, deep in thought. He sighed a few times finding this a lot harder than it seemed just a little while ago. What he was going to ask was something he himself wouldn't agree to if he were in the position. "I want you to move Naruto back to the prison…"

Minato just stared at him in shock. "What?" he asked him.

"I want him moved back to the prison." He repeated as if he just hadn't heard him.

Minato couldn't understand what was going on here. It didn't make any sense. "Inoichi… you don't even work there anymore." He said.

"I am aware of that." He said nodding his head.

Minato just shook his head still trying to think of a plausible reason for why the man wanted to do this. To his knowledge, Inoichi hasn't stepped foot in the Asylum in years. So, what was the meaning of this outrageous request? "I don't understand."

"Minato…" Inoichi said, still looking out into the middle distance. "I have not asked you for much in our long friendship… now, I am begging you… please."

Minato shook his head at the desperate statement. "Inoichi… you know I can't do that." He said looking at him. Inoichi shook his head. "Naruto's not right in the head… If we put him back in the prison…" he drawled off.

"He can't stay at the Asylum." Inoichi said.

Minato still wasn't understanding. "What brought this up?"

He wouldn't give an answer, he just shook his head again. "He can't stay there…"

Minato sighed and stood to his feet. "Look, come back in a few days, I'll have Ibiki here to explain his progress. We can uh… we can make a decision then." He said. Inoichi shook his head yet again and stood to his feet, heading for the door, not turning around on his way out. Minato sighed and rubbed his head at the confusing turn of events.

* * *

Sitting in his room, reading book after book, Naruto thought about all that has happened. He thought about how close he was to freedom. He could just feel how devoted Ino was becoming. From their conversations, he could see how she was changing day by day. It was she who requested they have longer sessions every day without him even asking. He technically hadn't asked for anything she did for him. She just sort of did it.

He told her how boring his days are and how he used to read all the time, she got him books. He told her how the straitjacket would sometimes hurt his arms, she demanded the guard remove it in place of simple handcuffs instead. He told her that he liked her hair down and she left it that way. It was simple things that made him realize that on a subliminal level, she was willing to do things for him, and the more he pushed, the more he could ask for.

Their recent conversations were becoming more and more personal. They spoke of everything that could be discussed on an intellectual level and she expressed to Naruto that these deep conversations they had were all she enjoyed anymore. Knowing that, he spent his days of isolation planning the next theory he could explain for her or debate about. It was something to do besides staring at his padded walls all day.

He noticed the change in her. She was slowly becoming more cynical in her thinking, a little more dark in her humor when they joked around. He also noticed how flirty she seemed to turn when the time allowed it. It was strange at first, but she always passed it off as a joke afterwards so it wasn't much to bite off of. Not that he couldn't exploit that. In the slight chance that those random outbursts of playful affections were real, he would flirt back in hopes of moving this whole ordeal along a little quicker.

Ino was at the edge of the cliff with her feet dangling over the ocean of insanity. With a little shove, she would fall in. Naruto had a plan to get out of here, and she played a big role in it. He just had to bid his time. It wouldn't be too long now.

* * *

At the home of soon to be parents, Sakura and Menma Namikaze, Ino sat at the dining room table looking in on the group of people that identified themselves as her friends. It was an Impromptu party that Tenten came to her house to retrieve her for earlier this morning. She sat in the corner seat of the dining room, watching everyone talk amongst themselves about random topics that didn't mean much. It was boring her to death.

Around her were Tenten and Sakura, both bragging about their respective husbands, or soon to be in Tenten's case. It was as if they were in competition with each other over who had the more supportive man. They droned on and on about which of them was more efficient in the aspects of a good partner as if it mattered in the slightest. Ino just sat in her seat, drinking the bottle of sake in her hand.

She looked around the room viewing everyone in there in a new light. Her conversations with Naruto brought a twist to the reality she's come to know in her life time. The friends she saw on a daily basis were a lot different then she remembered them being. They were the same, she just didn't view them the same. The ones she saw as confident and a little brash were now blind and idiotic. The shy or quiet ones were more aware of what life is. Regardless they were all foolish in their ways of thinking and understanding. She honestly felt superior to everybody there, even the ones who could most likely kick her ass.

In a mental battle before, no one could hold a candle to her, besides Shikamaru, mainly because of her family's special jutsu, but now it was much more than that. It was strange how much she could feel herself change in just two months with the help of her redheaded patient. She felt like a completely different person. A good one or a bad, she didn't know yet.

She knew she was changing though. As a psychiatrist, she was constantly keeping track of her own mental state as well just out of habit. It was becoming so dark and twisted, and she knew it was. In a way, she felt like psychopathy was creeping up on her. She also knew the cause of it as well.

Naruto was the root of her falling, but it was such an intoxicating feeling. It was like falling in love. A scary experience that she hoped had a happy ending. She was falling  
down  
down  
deep in a hole.(wink*) Her mind was starting to go and she could feel it. Ino would have been alarmed had it not had such an enticing end point. Having the chance to think in the same way as Naruto was something she wanted. If that meant psychopathy, then she was up for it. Hopefully it didn't come to that.

Waking from her thoughts, she noticed she was now sitting at the table by herself. Sakura and Tenten left to find their significant others as did everyone else apparently. She spotted couple after couple smooched up together around the house. They all smiled and had their own little conversations, mocking her while she sat in her seat alone, wishing she had that.

Who would she have that with? Everyone that liked her was a complete idiot or a conceited asshole. Everyone she liked was… well she didn't really like anyone. To rephrase, she didn't really like anyone attainable for her. Ino wouldn't lie to herself. Naruto Namikaze had crept his way back into her heart with ease over their time together. It was like he never left. For the first time in a long time, she felt appreciated and needed. He spoke to her like she understood every word he said even when sometimes she didn't. He treated her like she was better than these simple minded civilized people even when she wasn't. He made her feel like she could be more than what she already is. How could she not fall for that?

Sadly, that wasn't the type of crush she could run around telling her friends and parents about. She'd be taken off the case instantly. Maybe this is what her father was worried about. Maybe he knew of Naruto's charm and took a guess at how it would affect her. It was more likely he feared the possibility of her ending up like Dr. Yager. It seemed like a plausible fear to have of course with the extensive list of suicide victims caused by Naruto's influence. More importantly, it showed that her own father didn't even believe in her. If he thought so little of her abilities that he didn't trust her to not kill herself because of something that a patient said, then what good was he as a father?

"Ino!"

She jumped in shock as Tenten sat down next to her, looking at her in curiosity. "What?" she asked in irritation.

Tenten gave her an amused expression. "Geez, a little moody aren't we?" Ino mocked her smile and took another drink of her sake. "Why are you all alone?"

With a sigh, she asked "Is it bothering you?"

"Well, yeah. A little." Tenten replied. "Are you mad or something?"

"Why would I be mad?" she asked.

"Uhm, because you're all alone over here and everyone else has a man to give them love and attention." She said in a joking manner. Ino didn't take it that way.

She chuckled. "Oh yeah. I totally wish I had a dimwitted guy to make out with at a party filled with idiots." She mocked with a fake smile.

Tenten took that as Ino's version of a joke, but she decided to play along. Chuckling, she put a hand to her chest dramatically. "Uh! Are you trying to call us idiots?"

"No honey. I did." She said in a demeaning way with a tone one would you when explaining to a child.

Tenten's smile faded slightly, trying to decide if she were actually joking or not. Brushing it off, she switched up the topic. "You're a meanie!" She exclaimed in her childish voice. "Hey, what happened with that guy I set you up with?"

Ino gave her an irritated look and then looked away. Ignoring her question completely.

Tenten was now truly feeling disrespected. "Hellooo! Am I talking to myself?"

Ino sighed and brought the bottle back up to her mouth. "Might as well be." She whispered into the bottle before taking another sip.

"Excuse me?" she asked, truly not hearing what she said.

Ino got tired of it as she was too drunk to continue listening to the girls annoying voice. Downing the rest of the bottle, she exhaled and looked to the bun haired girl. "Look Tenten." She began, slurring the words together. "If I am being honest, I would much rather sit here in utter silence and complete isolation than to have to listen to your ridiculous rants about how 'great' Neji is in everything he does."

Tenten was about to argue, "That's.. not wh-.."

"Yes, yes it is." Ino said rolling her eyes. "That's all you ever talk about. That's all you and Sakura eeever talk about. It's the most eventful thing within your sad, dull little life so you bring it up in almost every situation so that you can feel important for a few minutes every day. Then when you get the attention you so desperately crave to justify your own prominence, you act all bashful and humble like you don't want all of that attention on you. It's really sad Tenten and I can guarantee you more than a few people have noticed, it's not just me. So, just save yourself some embarrassment and go back over there with your feminine man before he realizes he's gay and leaves you, or worse slits his own throat in realization of how bitchy you actually are." Ino said getting to her feet, planning on leaving, wobbling towards the door.

Tenten remained in her spot with her mouth agape. She stared at Ino's retreating form, waiting for her to turn around and start laughing at that ridiculous joke. When she didn't, she got angry. "Hey! Fuck you!" she yelled out getting the attention of the other guests. Ino sighed and turned to the girl. "You're just a lonely bitch who can't find a boyfriend! What the hell gives you the right to talk down on anyone!?"

Sakura, being a peacemaker got to her feet as quickly as she could. "Hey, hey, hey." She called out. "What's going on?"

The two ignored her as they stared at each other. "Tenten, I'm not talking down on you. I am making an observation. I don't blame you. You've lived your whole life believing in societies set standard of social acceptance, as have I." She admitted. "But, unlike me, instead of standing out, you flew under the radar, not noticed in a negative or positive light. Now that you're older, you're starting to feel as though your younger years have all been a waste. So, you're having a sort of pre-midlife crisis in which you are searching for any form of appraisal you can receive from any corner you can receive it from. If that's what makes you feel like you matter, then by all means, do as you must." Ino responded smugly with half lidded eyes, clearly intoxicated to some extent.

Tenten was clearly steaming mad and Neji got behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist, gently pulling her away. "Fuck! You! You lonely, psychotic, bitch!" she said kicking off a slew of curse words that poured out of her mouth as she was dragged out of the back door by Neji and a few of the other former famous rookies, including Ino's own teammates.

"Ino?" Sakura called her name cautiously. "What's going on?"

Ino just smiled back at her as if she were walking on clouds. "Oh nothing, Mrs. Namikaze. I'm peachy." She replied.

Sakura shook her head, still hearing the horribly aggressive remarks flying out of Tenten's mouth from the backyard. Everyone else was quiet, most of them wanting to see what would happen. Menma, Sasuke, and Mito were the only two left sitting on the couch. "Why would you say that to Tenten?" she asked her.

"Well, I could've very well lied to her, possibly fed her with self-confidence so that she could prance around this place like she's the best damn thing to touch this earth because of the guy she's with, but there's no healing in that. You've got to break a piece of the wall before you can fix the foundation Sakura." She explained in her doctor's lingo. "We've got to break waalls." She slurred out in a harsh whisper dramatically.

Sakura shook her head. "Ino.. that's your friend... We're your friends, not your patients…" Sakura said as if she figured the blonde girl had amnesia or something.

Ino laughed at that. "Friends? Hahaha!" she said laughing harder and harder. "Are you fucking insane!?" she asked. Sakura was about to reply but was cut off. "You've got to be fucking insane!"

Mito stood up from Sasuke's lap. "Ino, what the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, joining the fight.

"Mito, Mito, Mito." She said mockingly, eyeing the girl up and down. "Gosh, how are you related to him?" she whispered lowly, missing everyone's ears.

"Look, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you need to go and apologize to Tenten, right now." The redheaded girl said in a threatening manner.

"Wow.." Ino remarked. "What a world we live in huh? Where we actually have to apologize for speaking the truth!" she said as if she were giving a speech. "How ridiculous is that!?"

"We shouldn't lie to our friends." Mito remarked randomly making the blonde drunk laugh harder and harder.

"Ino stop." Sakura demanded.

"Oh no, Mito's right." Ino said suddenly. "We shouldn't lie to our friends." She said pacing around the room. "In fact, we should all apologize for lying to our friends." She said.

"Ino.." Mito said daringly.

She just smiled at her. "Oh, you want to start Mito?" she asked. "Go ahead and tell Sasuke your dirty little secret. I'm sure he'd love to know." She said peaking the Uchiha's interest.

Mito continued staring Ino down with ill intent. "Stop.."

"Oh, but what kind of friend… lies to another? A boyfriend at that!" she said preposterously. Mito didn't say anything.

"What's she talking about Mito." Sasuke demanded. Seeing his friend getting angry, Menma quickly stood to his feet to help.

"Ino, I think it's time for you to leave." He said standing in front of her.

Ino's smile increased. "And then, the kiss ass!" she said happily with a giggle. "Hey, if I leave now, you won't know Sakura's secrets." She chided. Menma hesitated slightly.

"w-…We don't keep secrets." He said pushing her gently towards the door. She only laughed as he basically picked her up off her feet and walked her to the front door. Before they got there she continued.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure, Sasuke-kun.. oops" she said cutely, clearly meaning to make that mistake. "I mean, Menma." She then began laughing like a drunken psycho. Menma turned around, not sure what she meant by that, but to his luck, Shikamaru and Choji were jogging back into the house at the call of Mito to haul their teammate back to her home. They both noticed the utter tension and silence as they walked through, not wanting to get involved.

"Got damn it, Ino." Shikamaru said grabbing onto her. "What the hell have you done?" he asked as she just cackled sadistically. He and Choji hauled the girl off, leaving the house with a heavy atmosphere that was uncomfortable to sit in. The group of friends who showed up for a relaxing day of being together now had more than a few elephants in the room to discuss, or ignore, depending on what they decided to do.

* * *

(2 days later)

"Inoichi, I really don't understand your motive here." Minato said, leaning back in his chair with his hands on his head. Ibiki stood next to him waiting for an explanation as well. He had a hunch, but he wanted to be sure.

Inoichi, still looking as bad as he did a few days ago, sighed and scratched his head. "Look, I'm not gonna lie to you." He began. "Ino.. is Naruto's new therapist." He said shocking Minato.

"Your daughter?" he asked.

"Yeah.. Minato, I mean no disrespect, but your son is nothing but trouble. Ino can't handle someone like him." He said, fully explaining the situation with as much desperation as he could muster up.

Minato understood now, and was about to reply until Ibiki jumped in. "On the contrary Inoichi, I don't think anyone else can." He said tossing the vanilla folder from his hands onto Minato's desk. He continued talking as Minato read over it. "Within the two months under Dr. Ino Yamanaka's care, Naruto Namikaze has shown incredible improvement. Statements from his guards report he has shown a significant decrease in aggression since he has been under her care. Dr. Yamanaka's reports show a periodical improvement in his behavior within his sessions as well. Removing him from that environment now would only cause him to fall back harder into that mental pit he was in when he arrived."

Inoichi couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen his daughter since the night of their argument, but he had assumed that she'd be falling apart at this point. It's not that he had no faith in his daughter's abilities, it was just this particular patient. He couldn't last two months with the psycho, and now he's learning of Ino's strange effect on him? It was unbelievable. "That… that can't be.." he said in disbelief.

Minato was surprised by what he was reading as well. "I mean, read it yourself." He said passing over the folder.

Inoichi read over Ino's report which began exactly as he thought it would. One thing he noticed was how thick the packet was. There were hundreds of reports, but she was only assigned to him two months ago. "Why are there so many?" he asked aloud.

"Dr. Yamanaka requested multiple sessions every day after her second session… I guess she saw something in him that sparked her need to help him." Ibiki said.

Inoichi was seeing it himself, with every page he flipped, the reports got more and more positive. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe it. It wasn't real. He slowly began shaking his head. "No.." he said lowly.

Minato rubbed his face. "Inoichi.."

"No, there… there has to be something. Some kind of… o-of motive for why he's doing this." He said, trying to rationalize this. "There's got to be a reason he's pretending to.."

"Inoichi." Ibiki interrupted him. "…that's enough." He said simply, maintaining intense eye contact with the man to get his point across. "Look… I get it. You want to protect Ino, but she is not a little girl anymore." He said shaking his head. "She is a capable, and frankly, brilliant psychiatrist… The Asylum is under my command now and as far as I'm concerned, Naruto Namikaze is getting the help he needs from one of the best and brightest of my staff. He has not done anything as of late that would be grounds for his dismissal." He stated with finality in his voice.

Inoichi just shook his head and stared at the documents as if they weren't real. Minato stared at him, waiting for him to say something. When all he did was shake his head, he had to find something to tell him. "Inoichi… I.. I don't know what to say."

"What is there to say?" Inoichi asked, tossing the documents back onto his desk. He rubbed his eyes in irritation. "Sometimes things just don't work out." He said ominously before turning to the door. "I'm sorry Minato.." he said before opening the door to leave.

Minato wasn't sure what he meant by that, hoping it was just meant as an apology for wasting his time. He didn't get a chance to tell him it was fine before he shut the door. Ibiki sighed, "I am sorry Hokage-sama." He said. "I'll try and talk to him. He'll be alright."

"Yeah…" he said looking down at his desk. "I understand."

Ibiki nodded. "Just a man protecting his daughter… We'd all do the same if put in that position."

* * *

"Hahah!" Ino laughed out at something Naruto said as they sat in their usual session room. He chuckled along with her as well. Their latest session was coming to an end and it was informative for him. Ino was extremely ditsy today compared to how she usually is. It seemed like she just didn't care for the session anymore. Like she was more interested in joking around with him than trying to do her job. "That's so mean! Hahah!"

Chuckling, he responded. "It made you laugh." He said with a smile as she was still calming down from her fit of giggles.

"Yeah, I guess so." She said catching her breath and sighing in contentment. She stared at Naruto with stars in her eyes. Waiting for him to say something. All he did was smile back at her as if he were amused by her. "What?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Your smile is beguiling." He said. Ino bit her lips together and looked down at the table, trying to hide her blush.

A knock at the door cut the moment short, signifying the end of their session. Naruto's smile faded away, as did Ino's. She gathered up the files and notepads she hadn't even touched in this session. "I uh.. I guess that's it." She said. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." She said reassuring him as the guards came in to take him back.

Naruto nodded and smiled at her. "I know." He said as they dragged him out the room. Ino finished packing up her stuff and headed for the door with a smile on her face, and a warm feeling sitting in her chest. She couldn't wait for the next day.

- **break** -

Making it to his room, Naruto's cuffs were removed from his wrists and ankles. He didn't care to turn around and look at the guards shut his door. He just walked further into his room, planning on reading one of his books. But he stopped, realizing hi door was never shut.

Turning around curiously, he watched as Inoichi was shutting his door with him inside. Peeking out the door, he could see one of his guards laying on the ground. He looked to the blonde man in curiosity, wondering what it was he was doing… Until he saw the kunai in his hand. And… Cliffhanger!

 **AN: And that's all I've got at the moment. This chapter was a lot of filler as well, but it did well in showing the development of Naruto and Ino's relationship, and Ino's personality shift as well. Hope you liked it, if not please, don't feel the need to tell me, just use that back arrow on your screen... you don't have to tell me why you're leaving. Odds are, I don't really... care... Well! Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Welcome back! Thank you for everyone who reviewed with something at the very least remotely positive to say. For those of you still remaining, I assure you this is the chapter in which the story truly begins. Please, join me in this journey of psychopathic love and triumph. I am hoping you enjoy the latest installment in this twisted tale of mine.**

 **I have a few winks in this chapter as well. If you're a fan of the Joker of the comics or maybe even just the movies, then you will get the winks. If not, then just ignore em… *wink***

 **Also, this is a shorter chapter than usual because I had to scrap one of the scenes as it was completely trash once I read it back. I've kept you guys waiting for long enough though, so here's chapter 8. Chapter 9 will be longer just to make up for it. I promise.**

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 8**

Inoichi stood there with the blade held firmly in his grasp. His face set in a look of remorse for what he was about to do. He looked Naruto in the eye from his spot at the door. His stomach churned seeing the nonchalant look of the redheaded man in white. It was daunting just gazing into those cold blues.

In this moment, he realized things he had never truly noticed before. Such as the way Naruto's ANBU tattoo seems to have been peeled off. Or the way Naruto's eyes never gave away emotion. In his studies, he's learned to tell the motive of someone by the dilation of their pupils. Feelings of happiness, affection, or laughter will cause it to expand… Feelings of anger, hatred, or fear it closes… Not his. His eyes stay fixed in tiny pinpoint dots, unfazed by anything. It was haunting to have those two piercing bullets beaming into your own orbs… *wink*

"Inoichi Yamanaka…" He said with a smile creeping onto his face. "I must say, I am surprised." Inoichi took a timid step forward. No words would come to his mind as he thought up something to say. "To what do I owe this visit?" he asked as if he were oblivious to the kunai and fighting stance.

"I… I came to kill you…" he said, completely out of breath for some reason.

Naruto's smile never changed, and he didn't care to get into a fighting stance. "Kill me?" he asked. "What for?"

"You know why!" Inoichi shouted out. Naruto just raised an eyebrow as if he didn't. "You're trying to… trying to use Ino somehow… I know it."

"Use her?" Naruto asked curiously. "Of course I'm trying to use her." He said, angering the man. "She is my doctor after all… I'm trying to use her to get better and make it out of this deranged… _psychotic_.. mind of mine." He said spitting that word out in a clear way to mock the man.

Inoichi just adjusted his grip on his kunai, hoping to end this quick.

Naruto chuckled at him. "Inoichi… look, we both know you can't beat me… even without chakra I could kill you." Naruto said. Inoichi wouldn't listen as he slowly began circling the younger man as a lion would, preparing to attack. Naruto sighed and when he did, Inoichi jumped into action.

He charged Naruto with a roundhouse kick that was grabbed effortlessly and held onto with an unbelievable grip. "Ah!" he yelled slashing at the boys arm and jumping back. He didn't have much time to nurse his injury before he was kneed square in the chin and thrown against the wall. Naruto had his forearm in Inoichi's throat with his feet dangling from the ground. The hand with the kunai was pinned to the wall as well.

"You really wanted to kill me huh…" Naruto said, no sign of effort what so ever for him. "Huh… Inoichi, this was such a sad attempt at my life." Inoichi just gurgled, trying to rip the redheads arm from his throat so he could breathe. "Since you are probably going to die here pretty soon… I will give you a small bit of final satisfaction in knowing that you were right. Dr. Yamanaka plays quite the roll in my escape and she has been progressing quite nicely… In fact, I think this right here may be the final key. The last hill to climb before she devotes herself to me.

Inoichi was seeing absolute red at this point and he struggled harder and harder to break free but was having very little effect.

"Once she outlives her usefulness in my escape, I'll most likely allow her to live simply because of her services. But, if she becomes a hindrance such as yourself, she just may have to greet you in the afterlife." He said with a sinister grin. "Hell, since I'm a nice guy, I'll send your wife as well." He said with a laugh until he could hear keys urgently being shoved into his door from the outside. His grin increased as he released his grip on the man. He delivered a very sharp jab to a spot on his throat.

Inoichi began coughing vehemently and he realized he couldn't speak. Naruto seemed to stumble back on his heels, giving him the chance he needed. He pounced on his downed form and held his kunai up with both hands intent on driving it straight through the chest of his target. Faintly, he heard a yell of "Inoichi! Stop!" He paused and looked up to the door to see Ibiki and two of the guards ready to take him. He couldn't speak, but he would not leave this place without ending his life. He brought the kunai up and drove it down as hard as he could. His strike ended when a kunai lodged itself into the center of his forehead.

Naruto stared up lifelessly at the kunai just a few inches from his chest. He stared into the fading light in the eyes of the man who was leaking blood on his face. A very slight smile creeping onto his face watching Inoichi's body slump lifelessly off to the side. This would definitely move things along.

* * *

Ino sat in her room staring at her ceiling, her mind gone completely. She was feeling a little anxious as she sorted out her recent emotions for the things in her life, mainly Naruto. This was supposed to be a professional relationship between them and yet she felt so connected. How deeply she was into it? She couldn't tell.

What would be the repercussions of this turning into love? That was the real question at this point. What would her friends think? Well, her old friends. Namely Mito and Menma. Or the village. What would happen to her for falling in love with a patient? She'd probably be locked up in the same institution. Separated by wall upon wall, no more sessions, no more contact with her supposed love. She couldn't take that.

Ino wished it were simpler. She wished it was as simple as just declaring him sane again and getting him out, but that wasn't the case. If she declared him sane, he'd possibly be moved back to the prison. That would definitely split them apart. Often times, she wished they could just go. Just get out of the village and be together. But, what if her feelings weren't returned? What if Naruto didn't love her the way she loved him? Then what would she do?

So many questions and no way to get them answered. There was a tap at her window next to her bed. She slowly looked over to see an ANBU agent. She sighed and looked back up to her ceiling. Her window slid open and the ANBU agent addressed her. "Yamanaka-sama. It is to my dearest regret that I must inform you, Inoichi Yamanaka has been killed." Ino showed no sign of emotion what so ever. In fact, he wasn't even sure if she heard him. "If you would like, I could escort you to the hospital… your mother is there."

"It's fine. Thank you." She said flatly, dismissing the man. The ANBU agent lingered there for a few seconds before shutting her window and leaving. Ino's gaze remained locked on her ceiling. No emotion shown what so ever. These were the first signs of Alexithymia. She didn't feel anything. She was supposed to feel sad about news like that. If it were a few months ago, she'd be completely heartbroken. Now, it was just like someone told her breakfast was ready. She remained there for another hour before he rolling out of bed and throwing her sandals on, heading out the door.

- **break** -

Walking into her old childhood home, Ino was greeted to the sight of her mother and a glob of her friends comforting her. There was Kushina, Yoshino, Mito, Tsume, and others Ino didn't know. Her mother, dramatic as ever was balled up on the couch with a tissue pressed firmly against her face. The others around her were whispering words of comfort that seemed to be doing nothing.

Then, she saw Ino and, surprising to everyone, she saw red. "You…" she spit out harshly at her. "You… fucking!" she yelled as she stood up and tried to jump at her. Ino stood in her spot, confused but unfazed. The women around her did their best to hold her back, not sure what was happening. "I fucking!" she yelled out until her string of curses mushed together in her crying. "God… If you had never taken that stupid case! He'd still be here!"

"Kiori-chan!" Kushina yelled among the others in disbelief at their friends words. "Calm down, you're just upset." She tried to reason with the crying woman.

"No! Get off me!" she yelled still trying to force her way to Ino. "Get your fucking hands off me!" she yelled, trying her damned hardest.

Mito stood to her feet and led the still silent Ino out the door to defuse the situation. Ino stood on the porch looking out to her mother's garden for a few seconds. Before Mito could say anything, the blonde began walking down the pathway. Hesitant at first, Mito slowly followed her. On the way out of the garden, Ino plucked a rose from the bush and continued walking.

Mito followed Ino, trying to think of something to say to her. She was a few paces behind her staring at the back of her head. She realized how long it must have been since they actually spoke. Of course she remembered the party a few days ago, but that was not a conversation. It was just drunken Ino starting mess and they all understood. Truth be told, Mito was still a little angry up to the point she heard of Ino's father dying from her mother. She was angered by the heap of mess that took place between she and Sasuke. It wasn't something she was prepared to deal with, but after a long talk, they dealt with the issues and resolved the conflict.

Now, staring at the blonde woman's back, she was mesmerized by how long her loose hair was. It was much longer now that it wasn't in her old ponytail. It was quite a bold fashion choice for Ino Yamanaka to let her hair flow freely. Thinking back, that's how it was at the party as well. Was it just her new style?

Her hair aside, there was a lot different with the girl. She wasn't normal anymore. She was always quiet, a lot less social, and very condescending. Mito couldn't understand why that is. Maybe she just got out of a bad relationship… or maybe she was in one. When Mito finally zoned out of her own thinking, she realized they were at the Hokage monument.

Ino just stood there, staring out at the village with dead looking eyes. Mito slowly crept up beside her. There were words on her mind, but her mouth refused to speak them. They were words of encouragement and questions for the scorned. For whatever reason, her tongue wouldn't extend them to Ino. She stared at the side of her face trying to get a read on her old friend.

She had no shine in her eyes. No smile on her face. No tear stains or tears brimming in her eyes. For someone as expressive as Ino usually is, this was very unsettling.

"Mito…" Ino called out slowly. Mito turned her head more towards her to display to her that she is listening. "… Are you in love?"

Mito blinked at that. In her mind, it was almost obvious what this was about. Ino was still in love with Sasuke, and she was jealous of her. It explains the party incident, but not much else. What could she say to make her feel better? What could she do? "…yeah.. Ino…" she said. "…yeah."

Ino's eyes never shifted from the village. "What does it feel like?"

Mito turned back to the village and thought about it. "… It's wonderful…"

Ino shook her head. "But, what does it… _feel_ like?" she repeated, putting emphasis on 'feel'.

Mito turned back to her, wondering what it was she wanted her to tell her. "It… feels like a… a warmth.. in your heart that… burns when you're not with that person… but comforts when you are…"

Ino's hand came up and touched her heart, just poking at her chest for a second. Mito watched her curiously. Then, she started chuckling… then giggling… then laughing. Mito watched her laugh into the wind and saw that a tear ran down her face. When she finally calmed down, she was left there with a content smile, and she turned to Mito. "I'm… I'm in love…" she said.

Mito wasn't sure what to say since she still had a hunch she was talking about Sasuke, but she couldn't accuse her of such a thing without being certain.

Ino's chuckling came back. "Hmhm… hmhm-haha! Fuck!" she yelled out, scaring Mito when she dropped to her knees. Mito quickly kneeled down next to her, rubbing her back.

"Ino… What's wrong? This is a good thing." Mito said reassuring her. Ino just continued to cry as she shook her head. "i-Is he… taken?" she asked cautiously. Ino shook her head, and Mito released the breath she didn't know she was holding. At least it wasn't Sasuke. "Then, what's the problem?"

Ino sat back on her heels and stared out to the village again, her eyes and cheeks puffy and red. She ran her hands through her hair and held it in place on top of her head. "Mito… what would you do if… for whatever reason… you couldn't be with Sasuke?" She asked her with desperation just oozing from her words.

Mito was as confused as she's been all night as she thought about it. "If… if I couldn't be with Sasuke?" she repeated the question to give herself a little time to think. "I'd… I'd do just about anything I could do… I'd do anything to make it to where we can be together…" she said after some thought. She had no idea the monster she just unleashed with her words of truth. Ino's red puffy eyes stared intently at the village, as if it were going to be the last time she saw it. Her heart was set in stone, and he objective was now apparent.

* * *

Kushina sat next to Kiori as the last remaining friend there. It was well beyond two in the morning, but she refused to leave until Mito brought Ino back to speak with her mother. Kiori had eventually calmed down with her rant of blame placing and realized how ridiculous her accusation was. She was crying now because of it. She had just demonized her daughter for doing something she believed she could do. It wasn't Ino's fault. It was Inoichi's obsession with that man that caused this, and nothing else.

There was no one to blame here but Inoichi. Her heart throbbed as she thought of what she told her daughter. It was blame for the sake of blame and she wanted so badly to apologize to her. They had been waiting for two hours now. Mito finally came into the door, a confused expression on her face.

"Where's… where's Ino?" Kiori asked getting to her feet hopefully.

Mito looked at the woman somberly. "She… well, she went home." Mito said. Kiori's tears came back full force and she balled her eyes out.

Kushina pulled the woman into her chest once again and began whispering sweet nothings into her ear as if it were a practiced skill. "Mito, tell your father I'll be staying here with Kiori please." She told the red head who nodded to her and left.

* * *

(Two hours later)

Mito walked into her and Sasuke's apartment. It was dark and quiet so she figured he was asleep. She kicked her shoes off and headed to take a shower. While in there, she thought over what Ino and she actually talked about. It wasn't what she expected to discuss with someone who just lost their father.

Why was she thinking about love, when her father had just died? Why did she not even mention her father? Was she bottling it up? If so, then she'd have to fix that tomorrow. She'd have to reason with Sakura and Tenten to help her of course since they were still a little mad about the whole party incident, but they'd understand when she told her the circumstances. Ino had been far too distant for far too long.

When she finished with her shower, she dressed in a plain t-shirt and some shorts as she climbed into bed with Sasuke. As soon as she did, he wrapped his arm around her as if he had been waiting for her. She smiled and rubbed his forearm. Yeah, if there was anything that prevented her from being with Sasuke, she'd do absolutely anything. That was a fact.

That begged the question, who was it Ino was talking about. What would she have to do for this mystery man she had fallen in love with? Mito prayed it was nothing insane, but by the way she was acting, she could take a guess it wasn't something innocent she was talking about. What if it were something like deserting the village? Or killing someone who was trying to kill him? Maybe she fell in love with a civilian who got into some kind of trouble?

She would ask the blonde girl tomorrow. Maybe as her friends, they could help her in whatever this endeavor of love was. It was the right thing to do.

* * *

A duffel bag over her shoulder, and a hooded ANBU agent behind her, Ino walked into the Asylum, instructing two of the guards that she was having a midnight session with her patient. Seeing the ANBU with her, the two nodded and went to retrieve the patient while she signed in.

She and the ANBU went to the room and waited patiently. "Ino, what are we doing here?" the man asked, apparently being quite familiar with her.

"Toshi, just help me with this one thing please." She told him simply.

Toshi stared at her curiously. He knew the patient she came to see and he also knew what happened a few hours ago. "…If we're here to kill or harm him in any way, I will not participate." He said watching her search through the big bag she brought with her.

Ino rolled her eyes, "We're not." She said. "I'm just here to speak with him."

"Then why am I here?" He asked her.

"I just… wanted a friend with me…" she said convincingly.

Toshi looked at her and sighed beneath his mask. "But… why do I have to be in full uniform?"

Ino sighed at the continuous string of questions. "So that you look more intimidating Toshi." She said as if it were obvious.

He looked at her in confusion once more. "He was an ANBU as well… and I'm just a recruit. I don't think he'll be intimidated." He told her.

Ino shook her head. "Believe me, he will." She said with a sigh as they then waited in silence. When she could hear his footsteps coming down the hallway, she dug in her bag again and pulled out a bottle of blue pills. "Here." She said handing one to Toshi. Before he could speak she continued. "Put it in your mouth and bite down on it. It's a Yamanaka family recipe. It will allow you to go into his mindscape with me. That's what I plan to do. It will make you feel a bit woozy at first, but it should pass."

With that being enough of an explanation, he lifted his mask enough to slip the pill into his mouth and do as he was told.

The door opened up to two guards bringing Naruto in. He looked over to Ino with a smile and didn't miss the way her lips curled up slightly. He then looked over to the blank faced hooded ANBU agent a few feet behind her. When he was sat down, the two guards nodded to Ino and the ANBU agent before leaving the room. They sat there in silence and Naruto looked as though he were about to say something.

"Well-.." he began until he was cut off by Ino putting a finger up, silencing whatever he was about to say. He looked at her strangely for a second until the ANBU agent started to wobble on his feet. Naruto stared at him in confusion when he fell over and began convulsing. He looked back to Ino to see her smiling at him. He grinned back at her, catching onto whatever was happening.

"Hey…" she said with a smile and watery eyes.

Naruto smiled back at her. "Hey…"

Ino bit her grinning lip, trying to find words to say. "I uh… I brought you something!" she said happily pulling her bag up. Reaching in, she pulled out a bottle of ink and a brush with a few papers. Naruto smiled at her. "For practicing your calligraphy and what not." She said nodding his way.

He nodded back. "Oh yes, of course." He said as if it were obvious. He looked at her in amusement.

"What?" she asked. "Can't do it?" she asked. He grinned and held his wrists up, showing her the cuffs as if she couldn't see them. She gave him a slick smile and began crawling across the table seductively. In a smooth motion, she pulled a kunai out, whirling it about before driving it down into the metal table, lodging it into the surface right between his hands, he didn't even flinch. "Get yourself out Mr. ANBU." She mocked as she laid down on the table with her feet crossed behind her, much like a kid laying before a fireplace.

"Ah… not gonna make it easy for me?" he asked with a smile, remembering their first conversation.

"Where's the fun in that?" she replied, catching on.

Naruto chuckled and pulled the kunai from the table. After a bit of messing with the lock, the cuffs finally opened, freeing his hands. Rolling his wrists out, he stood up and removed his shirt, giving Ino quite the sight as she stared at his chiseled body that seemed like he hadn't missed a day of training. She grinned at him and watched as he laid the sealing paper in front of her and began marking it.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" she asked. "It's been a while."

He smirked, "I've seen these seals every day for five years. I know what I'm doing."

"Guess you're lucky they didn't put any on your back then huh?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "That, my dear, is the confidence of these simple minded fools."

"Like me?" she asked him playfully as she flipped over to her back.

He continued to mark the seals on the sheet of paper. "Well, you're nothing like them now are you?" He asked rhetorically. "No… you're slightly better."

"Slightly?" she asked him.

He put the brush down and stood to where his face was directly over hers. Ino's eyes continued to dart between his lips and his eyes as he spoke. "Yes, slightly." He said nodding. "You're still stuck in this fantastic little mind of yours." He said tapping her forehead. "If you can step outside of that, then you'll be free." He said going back to the seal.

"Will you free me?" she asked him.

He halted his writing and looked at her. "…Perhaps." He said simply, going back to his work. Ino got off the table and stripped Toshi of his ANBU attire. When there was no more need for him, she performed a low level fire technique she knew and burned the body. When she turned around, Naruto was staring at her with a look she wasn't familiar with regarding him. It was close to amazement with a hint of further amusement.

"What?" she asked him innocently with the burning body behind her still raging with flames.

Naruto smiled at her. "Nothing… but, I am done." He said taking the paper and slapping it to his chest. It began to glow for a few seconds until Ino could visibly see the prison seal begin to slide off of his body as if someone were pouring water down his frame.

Naruto's eyes shot open as if he were a junkie who just got their fix. It was the first time chakra has coursed freely through his body in five years. Holding his hands out, he created two Rasengan and chuckled. "You, Doctor, have done me a great service." He said stalking over to her, letting the balls of blue chakra die out.

Ino continued to smile at him as he came closer and closer. Before he came too close, she put her fist on his chest. "We're not done yet." She said patting the ANBU uniform on the table. He raised an eyebrow but got the hint. He slipped into the uniform as Ino watched him from her seat hungrily.

When he was fully dressed, he put the mask on.

"Let's get out of here." She said, until he stopped her.

"Just one more thing." He said going through hand signs. In a poof of smoke, a naked Naruto clone stood there. Naruto wrote a few seals on his chest and the clone put his white clothes on. He then looked back over to the spot the body was being burnt. He went through a few hand signs and used a much more powerful fire technique that completely incinerated the body within seconds.

When that was done, he performed a duo technique of wind and water to cool the room back down to normal temperature. From there, Ino and the 'ANBU' left the room while the two guards came back in and escorted 'Naruto' back to his room. They walked out of the Asylum with absolutely no question being asked. No one stopped them, or looked at them what so ever. Naruto Namikaze was free.

- **break** -

Naruto left the village via the ANBU secret entrance, with Ino following his every move. When they were on the outside of the wall, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, thank you very much for your help Dr. Yamanaka. You, I must say, have been my favorite doctor." He said as if they were parting ways.

"Wait… What?" Ino asked stepping closer to him. "What are you talking about?" she asked him urgently with a very awful feeling welling up in her stomach.

Naruto raised his eyebrow at her. "I am thanking you for your services up to this point." He said simply.

Ino shook her head. "What does that mean? Does that mean you don't need me anymore?"

"Precisely. Now you're getting it." He said clapping his hands together.

Ino couldn't breathe. "No… no, no I fucking helped you!" she yelled at him.

Naruto shortened their distance in a second and pinned her to the tree behind her with her collar in his hand. "No!... No, what you did was try and warp my perception. You left me in a black hole of rage and confusion." *wink*

Ino shook her head. "No… I love you." She told him desperately.

He smiled at her and began chuckling.

"I love you!" she yelled louder. "And you love me too!"

He let her shirt go and began to pace around. "Oh is that so? Hahah!" he laughed again.

"Yes! You do!" she yelled. "You feel like no one has ever loved you before, so you won't accept my love because you're afraid it's not real." She said giving him so insight into what she deduced within her own mind.

Naruto stopped in his striding. "Ah, how wrong you are." he said stalking towards her. "No, love causes weakness when your so called 'lover' is weaker than you. That's why this little… fling between us ends here." He explained pulling a kunai from the holster on his leg.

"What are you gonna do? You gonna kill me?" She asked.

Naruto chuckled and threw the kunai her way. Ino didn't move or flinch what so ever when the kunai hit the tree a few centimeters close to her head. Naruto seemed impressed by that if even a little. "…No… no, I'm not gonna kill yah." He said stalking closer to her. "If you die, it is because you're weak and this little… spat of ours will have been for nothing…" he said pulling the kunai from the tree.

"What are you gonna do to me?" she asked him, not a hint of fear in her voice what so ever.

Naruto stared her in the eye as if judging her resolve. "Well.." he said turning around. "Follow me and you will see. You may back out at any point of our little… experiment. If you choose to do so, you may possibly have time to return before they realize you're gone." He said as she followed him through the woods.

She walked right next to him and looked him in the eyes. "Never." She said seriously with a fire in her eyes that Naruto just had to notice.

"Yeah well, we'll see about that." He said.

They walked through the woods surrounding Konoha for what felt like hours until they came upon a somewhat secluded area. Naruto bent down and pushed chakra through the ground and a secret passage way began to open up.

He stood to his feet and pointed into it. "After you." He said with a daring smile. Ino didn't hesitate and went right in. She stumbled through the darkness for a few seconds until the torches lining the walls seemingly lit themselves. When they did, she knew exactly where they were.

They were in one of the bases of the notorious psychopath Orochimaru. There were various broken glass tubes and quarantine signs all over the place. It would seem as though this one was already disassembled so what were they doing here?

She followed Naruto as he walked deeper into the base. Soon, they entered another room and onto a platform, overlooking vats of some kind of black liquid. "You see that?" Naruto asked her pointing into the stuff. Ino was getting a little worried at this point. "That is what made me the man I am today… that is your trial… you bathe in this liquid… and I will accept this uh… this love of yours." He explained.

Ino looked back into it to see it was boiling. In other words it was probably like acid at this point and would most likely kill her. She looked at him with a broken heart. "…I know what you're trying to do…" she said staring at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes. "You want me to kill myself… so that you don't have to deal with me anymore." She said. Naruto showed no expression at her astute observation.

"No, I want you to prove your devotion." He explained. "Prove your love to me."

Ino shook her head. "You know I'll die if I touch that stuff… You're not an idiot, and neither am I." Still, he was unfazed.

"So… you're saying you wouldn't die for me?" he asked her casually staring her in the eyes. Ino's eyes moved up the length of his face until they were deadlocked in a staring match. He was daring her to do it. He really wanted her to die. It hurt her heart worse than if he had just taken that kunai and plunged it into her chest. After everything she's done for him, she was nothing but a nuisance to him? Ino truly believed she had found a connection in someone.

Clearly her assumption was misplaced as he didn't seem to care much about her. She fell for him twice and got hurt both times. What more did she expect? She slowly back peddled until her feet were hanging over the ledge. Turning around, the vat of chemicals was less than a foot away from the ledge. So hot, the bubbles that popped splashed up and hit her ankles, burning her a bit. If Naruto didn't want her, then no one would. More accurately, if she couldn't have Naruto, then she no longer wanted to live anymore. Maybe death was what called her at this point. Slowly, she began to fall back.

In less than a second, she thought back to all of her best moments in life. Most of them involving Naruto himself. Even as she was a few milliseconds from death, she couldn't help but love the redheaded psycho. This was the cause of unrequited love. Death.

She could feel the heat of the vat of chemicals burning her back at this point, but she could also feel something tugging her. Opening her eyes, Naruto was holding the front of her shirt. The bottom of her hair was dipped in the chemicals but her feet were still on the ledge. He… he saved her…

A tear leaked out of her eye as she looked up into the blues of Naruto who was smiling down at her. "Now that." He said with a chuckle. "That's proof." Pulling her up closer, he leaned down and kissed her. Ino melted into the passionate connection and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled them back onto the platform and she deepened the kiss immensely, not wanting this moment to end. A duo was born that would shake the world like natural disasters.

* * *

(3 hours later)

Ibiki checked over the sign in sheet finding it weird that Ino would come and see Naruto as late as she had last night. Especially with the circumstances of Inoichi's death, so he was headed to check on the redhead to ensure he was still alive. Maybe she had done something to him. With the tray of breakfast in his hand, he opened the door.

Naruto was laying on his mat staring up at the ceiling. He looked over at Ibiki but didn't say anything. "Hey, Naruto." He said walking over to him. "I was just coming to check up on you is all."

Naruto still didn't respond.

Ibiki ignored it and put the tray down next to him. "I know Ino came to see you last night." He said questioningly. "Was there… there any reason for that?"

"No reason. Just to talk." He responded with a sudden smile.

Ibiki was surprised by that. It was weird of course, but Naruto was always weird so he didn't pay too much mind to it. "Right well…" he said looking at his shirt. He stopped and a sickening feeling dropped to his gut. Slowly he looked into the eyes of the patient to see a mocking glint in his eyes. Ibiki new. This was not Naruto Namikaze. The sealing ink on his body was smudged. Meaning it was written with paper ink, not body ink.

He pulled a kunai from his pouch and drove it into his body. He took a timid step back when it actually stabbed him. For a second he thought he was hallucinating and he actually killed a patient, but then the body disappeared in a poof of blood and smoke. God damn it. Naruto Namikaze was not here.

Ibiki stood to his feet and ran out the room as fast as he could. This was not good. This was far from good. He ran out of the Asylum intent on informing the Hokage of the troubling news. No one would be ready for what was coming… no one.

 **AN: There we go. Not much to say about this one. Not my best, but it moves things along. Till next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Welcome back! Not much to say about this chapter other than the fact that it will be very Naruto and Ino centric from here on out. I've been, up to this point, jumping fairly evenly between characters to stay up to date on what everyone is doing, but now I'm shifting the focus heavily to Naruto and Ino and what they're doing. Every now and then, I will shift to other characters to set the plot, but just know it'll be solely on Naruto and Ino.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 9**

(1 year later)

A house in the middle of the forests surrounding Kumo was in an uproar of panic as the two remaining occupants ran for their lives. One was a brown haired man with a cut running down the side of his face, leaking fresh blood. The other was an elderly woman who was struggling up the stairs. They were both covered in blood that wasn't all theirs.

The brown haired man pushed the older woman to make her move faster. When they were on the second floor, he pushed her into the hall closet and shut the door. They both scrambled to the back wall, hidden in the shadows of the hanging clothes. The man was holding the woman's mouth shut to stop her whimpering.

In the distance, they could hear the sound of someone screaming for their life. It was a man, one that they both seemed to be quite familiar with as his cries incited more and more tears from them. Then, suddenly the screaming was stopped, and they both knew why.

Now, the only sound was the faint yet clear sound of footsteps slowly treading up the stairs. With every step, there was an extra two thuds that they couldn't place. Then, whoever it was, finally reached the top step and stopped. The house fell deathly silent for a short few seconds. Then, the assailant began walking again. This time, they could clearly hear something being drug across the floor. It sounded sharp and metal.

Two doors away from the closet they were in, the door was kicked in roughly. When the person saw no one in there, they went to the next door and kicked it in. Again, no one. Through the shutters of the closet, the brown haired man could now see the body of the person as they walked in front of the door. It was clearly a female by the curves of the body. She was dressed in a white formfitting shirt underneath a red jacket that only went down to below her rib cage which she left unzipped. She also wore a short tight pair of black shorts that didn't reach below her mid-thigh. The whole outfit drenched in blood splatter. In her hands were two swords, held in revers grip with the tips touching the ground. Most likely the dragging sound he heard. She was staring at their door.

This one being one that opened out, she went to grabbed the door knob and the brown haired man tightened his grip on the elderly ladies mouth to keep her from screaming. Hoping and praying to whatever divine power that they somehow made it out of this. He shut his eyes awaiting the inevitable. Suddenly, there was a crashing sound in the room next to theirs. The girl released the door knob and turned her head. Now, the brown haired man got a peak at her hair which was blood red towards the bottom but faded into a bright blond.

She walked away to investigate what the sound was and the brown haired man breathed a sigh of relief as quietly as he could. He loosened his grip slightly on the old lady and whispered to her to 'stay quiet'. Slowly and gently, he crawled his way over to the door. She had already partially opened the door, so he just pushed it open a little more. It creaked ever so slightly and he cursed his luck. Looking down the hall in the direction she went, he couldn't see her. He couldn't hear her either.

Seeing a chance at an escape through the window at the end of the hall, he crawled back to the old woman. Very quietly he whispered his plan. "Ok… the window at the end of the hall is wide open… If we can make it, then we can run for it." The old woman was vehemently shaking her head, not liking the idea. "We have to. Hey, we have to!" he said more harshly. "If we stay here we will die."

The old woman bit her lips together and shut her eyes, mentally judging her odds. Figuring there was no other choice, she nodded her head. He nodded back at her and prepared to crawl towards the door, but quickly jumped back against the wall when he heard whistling from down the hall. Again, walking by their room was the girl stained with blood. She was still dragging one of her swords across the ground, but she was swinging the other around as she whistled.

She was just about to pass by when the old woman could no longer hold her breath. She exhaled as quietly as she could, but that seemed to be enough for the girl to stop in her tracks. The brown haired man clamped his hand over her mouth once more. The girl walked back until she was standing in front of the door again. This time, he knew they were found out. Reaching to his right, he felt around for something to use. All he could find was an old umbrella that he held shakily in his hands.

The door swung open and he drove the umbrella forward, but it was quickly knocked to the side and the right side of his chest was impaled into the wall behind him. Staring up at her, he was horrified by the mask she wore. It was a traditional Japanese porcelain doll mask complete with the small lips, thin eye holes, and a small nose. The mouth of the mask was smothered in red lipstick and both of the eyes were smudged carelessly in red eyeshadow. Beneath her right eye was a small heart and along the jaw line was the word 'rotten'.

"I found her, love!" she called out with an ominously happy tone. They heard another pair of footsteps casually walking up the stairs. "Don't worry granny." She said looking at the old woman. "My honey just wants to talk to you." The brown haired man tried to pull the sword from his chest but she twisted it more and more causing him to continue screaming.

Then, they were greeted to the other masked assailant. He was wearing a blood red shirt, black pants tucked into black tape with black sandals. Over the red shirt he wore a black hoodless jacket with a high collar that he left unzipped. The jacket and pants had many pockets on them and he had an empty sword sheath on his back. His mask was a plain expressionless white mask that cut off at his hair line. The design of the mask was a blood red, very jagged, and crudely painted on smile that went from cheek to cheek. The eye holes were hardly visible amongst the blacked out smudged eye shadow that covered them. His blood red hair was slicked back and seemed wet or oily as a strand or two hung over the front edge of his mask.

"Well, well." He said squatting down in front of the terrified old lady. "Miss Kibui… former secretary to the Raikage…" the old lady did her best to sink into the wall behind her. "Don't be afraid… I would just like to talk to you… my name is unimportant as I am nothing more than an idea."

"What do you want!?" yelled the brown haired man.

The masked man looked over to him in curiosity. Then he looked back to his assailant. "Why is he still alive?"

"Sorry hun, thought you'd want to use him as leverage." She ripped the sword out of his chest and slit his throat. Flicking the blood off of the blade, she shoved it back into the empty sheath on the masked man's back. The old woman cried in desperation seeing the blood leak out from his throat.

"Hey, hey, hey." He said getting closer to the woman and stroking her face gently. "There's no need for that." He whispered to her. "Just answer my questions and we'll be alright… Now, the Raikage…"

* * *

Sitting in his office, the Godaime Hokage Menma Namikaze, looked over the recent report he received on the masked assailants. It was a cry for help from a second village, this one unexpected. Two months ago he received a distress message from the hidden sand villages Kazekage, Gaara, about two masked individuals who massacred one of his former associate's homes apparently fishing for information regarding himself. It was just a simple heads up for the Hokage to ensure all of his associates were accounted for. Now, he received a letter describing the same situation from the new Mizukage, Chojuro.

Kiri being a sort of neutral nation of Konoha, it was an unexpected warning. Apparently the masked assailant allowed one of the witnesses to live to relay a message to him. It was cryptic but threatening and seemed to be in pieces. This entire ordeal was becoming a headache, especially for someone who's only been in office for about four months so far.

As of now the issue wasn't that great since the only people out of the village connected to him in any way were Sasuke and Mito. They embarked on their honeymoon a few weeks ago to spring country but they could both pretty much handle anyone they came against. They were of course told to be on the lookout for Naruto even after all this time. There would be hell to pay if the other villages were to find out that the lunatic brother of the Hokage was out and about causing trouble.

To Menma's knowledge, he hasn't done anything yet. He was spotted a few times with Ino of all people within a few of the minor villages, but he could never pinpoint their location. It also wasn't known if Ino is an accomplice of his or merely a victim in all this. While his father was in office, he sent multiple search and seize missions out for the two, but only a few were able to spot them, but none able to catch them. Without Jiraiya's spy network, finding anyone became a much more difficult task for Konoha. Naruto being a former ANBU did not help as he was well aware of each and every tactic they used for certain missions.

He was starting to understand his father's weary warning to him when he took office. He told him that this job was not simply about being the strongest in the village or making the tough decisions. He said it was a very hefty task of balancing not only the problems in and outside of the village, but your own life's issues as well. Naruto's escape influenced both of those tasks negatively.

His disappearance led to many issues within the village including the many demands for his head from not only the council members, but his own group of friends who believed he kidnapped Ino. Even Sakura, to Menma's disappointment. He understood it was her best friend, but Naruto was his brother and he expected her to at least understand how he felt. Ino was his friend too so he got her point of view, but that didn't change things.

As a father, Hokage, and husband Menma had a lot on his plate. Hopefully in time, everything would work itself out. He was even thinking about going to his father for help with the whole masked assailant thing. Not that he couldn't handle it. He was actually planning on relaying to every shinobi, Jonin or higher, to be on the lookout for the two individuals with the orders to either capture or kill.

He wasn't sure how effective that would be with the vague description of simply 'two masked assailants'. He wasn't aware of their affiliation, ability, or even gender. It would be like chasing blank faces. For now, his plan was to wait for more information to rise. If things continued the way they were and Kumo or Iwa reached out with a similar complaint then he'd definitely step up and think up a plan of action.

A knock at his door broke him from his thoughts. "Come in." he called out, writing something down on the document before him.

Sakura walked in with a baby carrier hooked onto her left arm and a diaper bag slung over her right shoulder. Menma smiled and stood up to greet her. Walking over he gave Sakura a kiss and received the beautiful baby laying carelessly in the carrier. "Hey there Sumire-chan." He said pinching her cheeks.

Sakura smiled, tickling her little feet. "She's been missing her daddy all day. So, I thought we'd come for a visit." Menma smiled gratefully and walked back to his seat with his daughter in his hands.

"Well, I'm certainly glad you did." Taking a seat, he began to rock back and forth, uttering baby noises to make her laugh. "Today has been nothing less than stressful, I'll tell you that."

Sakura walked around and set the carrier on the ground next to his chair and the diaper bag on a free spot on his desk. "I can tell. Have you even eaten today?"

Menma smiled bashfully with a chuckle. "Uh, no. I must have forgotten." He said scratching the back of his head.

Sakura chuckled. "You Baka. Wait here, I'll go get us something to eat." She said walking towards the door.

Menma chuckled and nodded, holding Sumire up so that they were face to face. "Your Kaa-san is so mean Sumire-chan. I hope you're more like me." He mocked so that Sakura could hear.

"Don't corrupt my daughter you Baka." She called out casually as she shut the door. Menma again chuckled at her and put his daughter back into the carrier next to him so that he could continue working. When she started crying he shoved her bottle into her mouth, silencing her instantly.

A few minutes later, another knock at his door interrupted him. This time it was Kakashi. "Oh, Kakashi. What is it?" he asked picking up Sumire so that he could feed her properly.

"Meh meh, just stopping by to check up on you." He said casually strolling in and taking a seat in a chair off to the side with his book in his hands.

Menma's expression displayed playful annoyance. "As per my father's request?" he asked him in a knowing tone.

Kakashi just eye smiled from behind his book. "Can't blame him for worrying. There was a lot going on when he handed you the hat."

Menma sighed and looked down at Sumire. "I know, but still. I am Hokage for a reason. He doesn't have to worry about me all the time."

Kakashi shrugged. "Guess it's a parent thing."

Menma smiled at that looking down at his daughter, figuring he'd probably do the same thing. "Well, tell him thanks for checking up on me, but I'm fine." He said in amusement.

Kakashi smiled and nodded. "Will do. While I'm here, anything you'd like to talk about?" he asked him.

Menma looked up in thought. "Well, yeah actually." He shifted Sumire to his other arm. "There could be a possible issue brewing that could possibly affect us later down the road." He said getting serious.

"What's the threat level?" Kakashi asked putting his book away.

Menma shook his head at the question. "I'm not truly sure. Two masked individuals attacked associates of the Kage demanding information on them." He explained.

Kakashi looked up in thought. "What do you mean by associates?"

Menma used his free hand to rummage through the piles of paper on his desk. "…Uh… former sensei of the Kazekage… aaand the previous Mizukage, Mei Terumi." He said reading the report.

"A former Kage?" Kakashi asked in surprise. Menma nodded his head. "Well that means that they definitely have some kind of power." He remarked. "Both of them sound as though they would have some kind of knowledge on their Kage's personal life."

"That's what I'm afraid of." He said with a nod. "Sasuke and Mito are out on their honeymoon."

"And you think they would dare attack them? They are both S ranked shinobi within the bingo book." Kakashi said.

Menma nodded. "Yeah, but if they were confident enough to attack a former Kage, I doubt they'd shy away from that." He said.

"True…" Kakashi said thinking of all the information presented to him. "Well, maybe we can use that." He said thinking up a plan. "Yeah, inform Sasuke and Mito of the imminent threat of two masked assailants and they may possibly be able to defeat them and end whatever the two have planned." He explained. "Cut the head of the snake before it can strike."

Menma thought it over. It was a sound plan, but he didn't really want to give his sister and new brother in law a mission during their honeymoon. Though, this was a matter of village security, so he may have to. It would be better to have them vigilant out there if someone were actually planning to attack them. No matter how good of a shinobi you may be, you are still vulnerable to unplanned attacks. The key was to prepare for everything.

"Yeah, ok." He said with a nod. "I'll send a carrier pigeon as soon as possible."

* * *

Wiping the blood from her mask, Ino happily strolled alongside Naruto who, as usual, had a book shoved in front of his masked face. It's been a year since their escape from the village. Immediately after the whole chemical death initiation thing, they began a string of very confusing missions. It was like Naruto had planned out everything he wanted to do when he got out. Ino knew it was along the lines of malicious intent and most likely criminal activity, but she didn't really care. In fact, she was starting to almost enjoy the things they did. They were bad, but for some reason they gave her a rush she hadn't felt in… well ever.

Their first two months of freedom were spent traveling the various nations digging up dirt and learning of the brewing alliances among the nations. There seemed to be more than a few. Iwa was apparently in contact with Konoha about squashing the recent conflicts between them in place of joining into an alliance with them and Suna. Kiri was still remaining neutral but was very interested in the budding alliances of the other nations. And Kumo was for the most part interested. It almost seemed like the world was nearing a peaceful time.

They also dug up the dirt of the underground organizations of each of the nations. Konoha's ROOT was seemingly in conflict with Kumo's BOLT organization. It was all very interesting to Naruto. He and Ino had been plotting their game plan every step of the way. As of recent, they've been hunting down personal information on the Kage themselves. For what? Ino wasn't truly sure, but she knew it would be something.

Currently, according to Naruto, they would need an army of their own before beginning their true goal. So, they were now traveling through the fields of Kusagakure in search of something. Or someone.

Ino peeked over his shoulder. "Whatcha readin'?" she asked in a playful manner as she slipped her mask back on.

"Oh, it's an absolutely dreadful book about this man's ridiculous theory on where we go when we die." He explained

Ino put her hands behind her back and swayed her shoulders as they walked. "What does he think?"

Naruto pulled the book down from his face. "Well, he believes there is some sort of purgatory that we go to await our judgement from Kami." He said shaking his head in disbelief.

Ino smiled beneath her mask. "You don't think that place exists?" she asked him leaning forward to peek into his eye holes.

"No." he said immediately. "No that's just a scare tactic to force people into acting like civilized individuals."

"So what happens when we die?" Ino asked him.

Naruto sighed and looked up to the night sky in thought. "Uh… we're just gone. There's no purgatory, no afterlife, no heaven, no hell. There is just nonexistence."

"So you've never believed in religion?"

"No. No you see, religion is the human race showing its fear of being the top of the food chain. Aside from what people may believe, we are the superior species. Some could argue the tailed beasts, but they have been captured and contained for over a century. We are the most intelligent and intelligence is power."

Ino was confused. "Well how does that tie in?"

"Humanity fears power even though we all crave it. Therefore, they create stories of something a step higher so that everything that happens is 'for a reason' in their eyes." He explained.

Ino just smiled at him and grabbed his free hand in her own. "You sure have thought about this haven't you?" she leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, when you're locked up for five years it gives you some time to think."

"I'm sorry I didn't get you out sooner." She said sincerely.

Naruto waved her off. "That is not important. Patience is a virtue, I would have waited another year if I had to."

"Well, you didn't have to." She said hopping onto his back. Effortlessly, Naruto caught her with his hands beneath her knees as he continued walking.

"And I am grateful for that." He said as Ino moved the strands of hair hanging over his mask. "Which is why I keep you around."

Ino snickered in disbelief. "Tch, yeah. It's not because you love me or anything like that." She said in a playful tone.

Naruto chuckled. "Dr. Yamanaka you are too much."

Up ahead they could see a group of people walking their way. "Looks like we have company dear." She said swinging her feet playfully. Naruto just snorted and continued along the path, undeterred.

As they got closer and closer, they could make out what seemed to be a four man squad, possibly a team of Genin and their sensei. Getting even closer, they could now see that they were from Konoha. The sensei was someone neither of them knew personally. It was a fairly muscular man with dark brown hair. His three Genin stood behind him in fear of the two masked individuals they were about to pass.

Naruto's eyeholes peered into the brown haired sensei with absolutely no emotion. In an attempt to maintain his composure, the man gave him a nod. Naruto paused for a slight second before nodding back. Ino was playing with the children behind him, staring at them with a smile beneath her mask. She tilted her head cutely, completely creeping them out with the blood smeared markings on her mask and the few droplets still clinging to her legs.

The sensei and his students breathed a sigh of relief when they passed the two. Naruto just continued walking, not paying them any more mind. Ino was looking back at them for no apparent reason. The sensei turned around to check on his students and saw her looking back. He pushed them in front of him and continued walking. Ino turned back and chuckled into Naruto's ear.

 **-break-**

Hours later, Naruto and Ino walked into a bar in the outskirts of Kusa. Sticking to the shadows of the shady place, they made their way to a very dark corner overlooking the people within. They sat there for a few hours until the individual they seemed to be waiting for finally made an entrance. A man with curly black hair, and a scar running down his right eye. Naruto nudged Ino and she nodded, taking her mask off.

Ino walked over to the free spot on the bar right next to the man, with a sway to her hips and a seductive smile plastered on her face. Leaning on the counter, she tapped her fingers against the counter top. "Hey barkeep! I'd like a few shots!" she said getting the attention of the target.

She could feel his eyes on her as she waited for her order. The barkeep came back and asked her how many she wanted and she replied two. When he filled the glasses up, the target took that as a conversation starter. "Hey." He quipped. "Those both for you?"

Ino smirked his way as if she hadn't noticed him there. "Of course they are." she said slyly. "Girls a little thirsty." She said downing one of the glasses with little effort.

The curly haired man watched her the whole time. "Well in that case, let me buy you two more." He said pulling out his wallet. The barkeep poured two more glasses. "I'm Kai." He held his hand out for her to shake.

"Ino." She replied shaking the appendage. She smiled at him knowing she was successful in her tactics. From there, she laid on the charm to the best of her abilities which were a lot better than most. She talked him up with small chat that made her want to slit her own throat. He wasn't necessarily dumb, but he was nowhere near the level of intellectual dialect she was used to.

For the next three to four hours, she did well in talking him up and utilized her knowledge of psychology to get the information she needed from him. Somewhere along the way, they decided to leave the bar. With Naruto, unknowingly to Kai, following close behind.

Naruto was spot on with picking this target. Apparently he was the leader of a very large group of nuke ninja and rogue samurai who despised the major shinobi countries for various reasons. They were a nameless underground circuit that has been around for more than a few years but had yet to take any major action for what he idiotically admitted to her was cause of his own fear of being found out.

Knowing the new information, Ino showed him her headband and expressed her want to join his organization. Kai was at first unsure about it, saying they didn't usually take anyone who wasn't marked nuke in the bingo book. That's when she revealed she was one of the masked assailants that attacked the Kazekage's sensei and the previous Mizukage, the two cases people were likely aware about at this point.

Kai was surprised by that information since those two individuals were starting to pop up on everyone's radar. He seemed to have a spy network a lot more complex and functional than the one the Sanin Jiraiya had in the past. Ino found it strange yet fitting that it seemed the only thing holding him back from causing true trouble for the world was his own cowardice. More importantly, she knew more about what Naruto was trying to do. They needed an adequate army, and it would seem as though they found they found one that could use a new leader.

The more Kai explained it, the better it seemed to get. After he agreed she could join, he explained the functioning of the ranking and the members they have. They worked in a fairly organized manner with higher ups consisting of the highest classed nuke ninja who reported information to himself directly. There were over two hundred members in Kusa alone at the moment. At least two hundred more either undercover or stationed elsewhere. All of them with a deep hatred for one or all of the major villages. Ino continued to lay the charm onto him until he finally decided to take her to the headquarters.

On the way, Ino began badgering him about questions of himself. He was sure that he was the most powerful shinobi among their ranks, claiming he had to be to remain in power. Apparently, he was tested by a few high ranked members before. They were actually notable individuals as well. People Ino had noticed from the bingo books whose bounties were cashed in. The most notable being the puppet master Sasori of Sunagakure. Kai instilled fear of his power among his ranks to gain the respect of his people, but he feared he was losing it.

The problem was the people wanted action. They wanted something to ensure them that this organization was going to do something soon. Kai however, was unsure about this. His grandfather was the one to start this many years ago, and it was passed down to him as his father died in service. He was trained by his grandfather ruthlessly and he admitted to Ino, he really had no passion for harming the major villages. He had no reason for it. He was born and raised with the underground headquarters since birth.

Ino decided, to keep it real, she would give him some advice. "Ya know, if you don't take action soon, your people won't respect you." She said with a knowing tone. "Or someone may come around and take them from you."

Kai smiled bashfully. "Yeah I know… I don't know, maybe we'll start our own village… we've got a lot of members." He said.

Ino shook her head with a hum of uncertainty. "Changing your purpose will make them leave faster."

Kai explained he knew this and said he had been working on a way to propose the idea to the forces. He had just been too nervous to actually do it. Ino saw this as an opportunity to possibly take even more action. She pecked him on the cheek with a seductive smile.

"They say a strong woman can give a man strengths he never knew he had."

Kai looked over to her with a small grin tugging at his lips. "What is it you're proposing Ms. Ino?"

She placed her hand inside his with a bashful smile. "Tell your troops your idea… I'll be with you every step of the way."

Kai looked around the forest floor in thought. "I… I don't know." He said timidly. "I'll lose some of them…"

Ino nodded. "True, but the ones who stay are the ones who are really there for you."

She could see the realization and subtle belief in her words play out on his visage. He looked at the ground in front of them as they walked and he squeezed her hand gently. After a few moments, he looked over to her with a small smile and he nodded. Ino understood the gesture and rested her head on his shoulder.

They walked for a few more minutes until they crossed a field. Reaching the other side, he pushed chakra through the ground in a three round burst and a pathway opened up, leading underground. They were greeted by someone Ino knew of very well. Deidara, Iwa's mad bomber.

"Kai, another night of bar hopping huh?" he asked him incredulously.

Showing the respect he demanded, he walked right by him with his arm around Ino. "It's leader-sama to you and yes, another night of bar hopping." Deidara scowled at the back of his head as he followed the two. "How many men are here?"

With a deadpanned tone he replied. "Close to two hundred."

"Great, have everyone in the main room. I have an announcement." He said walking further in with Ino. Naruto was a few paces behind the three, silently watching and casually strolling along, unnoticed.

Deidara split away from the two to relay the message.

Walking through a corridor, Kai and Ino passed two throne like chairs looking out to what she assumed was the main hall as there were already more than a hundred people scattered around, either training, eating or just casually talking. The room was absolutely massive, much larger than she assumed it would be. She and Kai walked forward passing the beautifully sculpted thrones down about three steps, onto a small balcony overlooking the room.

There were a lot of other corridors lining the sides of the gigantic room with people funneling out, filling the main room within minutes. Ino watched from Kai's side as men and women chatted amongst themselves waiting for the meeting to start. Below them was a raised and rounded area seeming to be a platform for battle or entertainment. It was connected to a hall directly underneath them. Funneling out of it were seven people she assumed to be the higher ups.

Individuals such as Deidara _Iwa's Mad Bomber_ , Kisame Hoshigaki, _The Tailless Tailed Beast_ , Hidan, _The Immortal_ , Aoi Rokushou, _The Thief of the Sword of the Thunder God_ , Zabuza Momochi, _Demon of Kirigakure_ , Kakuzu, the man who fought Hashirama Senju, and Pakura, former _Hero of Sunagakure_. It was a very lethal group of individuals that Ino found impressive. They were all S-rank criminals with a deep hatred for the major villages. Now, she was actually feeling slightly nervous. If they were faithful to Kai, then this wouldn't work.

Squeezing Ino's hand once more, Kai began the announcement, there was a seal placed on the balcony that allowed him to be heard around the entire room. He walked forward and got the attention of the waiting listeners. "People!" he said. "I have an important announcement." The entire room was completely drenched in silence, some of them thinking up what they thought he was going to say. Most of them hoping they were finally going to do something. "As you all know. The primary goal of this organization has been the destruction of the major villages."

He looked back at Ino who nodded at him with two thumbs up and a comically insane looking smile. He found it weird but ignored it and continued.

"As of recent… we've been dormant in our actions…" This statement got a wave of chuckles and giddy noises from the crowd. Everyone believing they knew where this was going. "I have a plan." He said getting the people even more excited.

Ino could see the eager body language of the seven higher ups below them and felt more reassured. They wanted to attack just as much as everyone else. His next statement caused an even greater reaction.

"My plan is to… abandon our previous objective and instead, start our own village." The people were dead silent for a moment, trying to process what he said. When they did, the room erupted into outrageous shouts of anger. Kai watched them yell their discrepancies at him silently for a moment. Flashing his highly intense killer intent, he froze the room almost instantly. Ino was actually surprised by it. She realized he was a lot stronger than she imagined.

The seven higher ups jumped up to the balcony to demand an answer. Hidan being the most vulgar began badgering him immediately. "Kai! What the hell are you talking about!?" he yelled incredulously. "I didn't waste three years of my fucking life to be pulled back into another fucking village!"

"You're immortal jackass, but he's right!" yelled Deidara. "The hell is wrong with you!?"

Kai stared at them indifferently with his hands behind his back. "We won't be a regular village." He tried to explain

"Yeah, no shit. We're made up of missing ninja." Aoi said casually as if he were speaking to an idiot.

Zabuza pulled his sword from his back. "The only reason we are here is because of the mission" he said pointing his blade at him. Kai stared at him unintimidated.

"Oh, Zabuza is gonna challenge him?" Kisame said with an amused tone. "This is making shark skin tremble."

Kai walked forward and stared him in the eyes. "That mission was started by my grandfather. He was a fool to believe he could take on the likes of the five Kage." He said in a threatening way. "If you wish to try and take my place, then by all means." He said threateningly.

Zabuza couldn't even maintain the eye contact with him. The others could see his sword slowly sinking down out of Kai's face. It was a strange sight for Ino to see, the demon of the mist shying away from an enemy. In front of a fellow swordsman no less.

"Know your place, Momochi." Kai said casually stepping pass them to continue his speech. The seven of them turned along with him, seemingly going along with him. "I understand the issue with this, but I urge you to allow me to explain." He said waiting for someone to say something. When they didn't he continued. "The qualms of my grandfather do not extend to me… I have no hatred for the hidden villages, and I understand that you may. If so, I urge you to take it upon yourself to take action in your own way. If you're hate is pure, then you will have no issue doing so."

"Well, if that's not cowardice, then I don't know what is." Said a new voice from behind him. The group upon the balcony turned around in surprise at the man brave enough to disrespect this monster before them. Naruto stepped around the thrones with his mask on and his hands behind his back. Ino, who was still behind the group smirked at Kai who looked at her in suspicion. She slyly placed her mask back on her head and when Naruto got next to her, she leaned on his shoulder. "Kai Okutaka" he said slowly.

"Who are you?" Kai asked blankly, showing no fear or emotion of any kind.

Naruto tilted his head slightly. "It is of no importance who I am. What's important is my plan, and the necessities I need to complete it." He said casually walking around. "You see, like these beautiful people around you, I have a certain… abhorrence.. for the hidden villages."

Kai just stared at him in confusion and slight annoyance. "Aoi, kill him." He said suddenly.

Aoi drew his sword but Naruto opened his jacket displaying the paper bombs inside and formed the hand sign ready to blow them. "ah, ah, ah." Shaking his head. "Let's not blow this out of proportion. Listen Kai, as I understand, you are a man who invites challenge."

Kai turned his way staring at him. "You wish to challenge me to take my place?" he asked him threateningly, flashing his killer intent at the redhead who was not effected in the slightest.

"Why that's a splendid idea…" he said with a smile beneath his mask. "You see, these people deserve a better leader!" he said addressing the crowd of onlookers listening to the tense conversation. "They don't need a spineless man afraid of his own demise."

Kai jumped back and off of the balcony, landing on the circular platform, ready to fight. Naruto rolled his right shoulder out and slowly walked forward, paying no mind to the seven high classed killers who looked at him as if he were a fool.

"You will die here today Kai. It is your fear of death that will be your demise." He said stepping off the ledge.

He landed on the opposite side of the platform, staring across the way at the curly haired man. "You seem so sure of yourself." Kai said with a bit of a smirk. "If you had any common sense, you'd look around and see that your confidence may be misplaced."

"It is not." Naruto said simply, rolling up his left sleeve. He pushed chakra into the marking on his forearm and a sheathed sword and strap popped up. "I am merely aware of the ending to this match. You know nothing of me, but I know everything about you." He strapped the sword to his back and unsheathed it.

Kai raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Have we met before?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, but I've met you. You're a cowardly man, hiding behind power." He said holding his sword in a reverse grip. "You are too kind for the role you play, which is why you refuse to take action. A man like you does not belong in an organization like this period, yet you lead it because no one has been able to best you."

"And you believe you can?" he asked him casually. Naruto gave him a curt nod and said nothing else. Kai nodded back cockily and walked to the edge of the arena. He held his hand out to one of the nearby men, never taking his eyes off of Naruto. "Sword." The man pulled it from its sheath and handed it to him. "Well then, let's see it."

With that, the two rushed forward. Kai went for a wild diagonal slash that Naruto blocked with his own. Spinning with the block, Kai went for an elbow to Naruto's face, but Naruto caught it and pushed it forward, spinning him back the other way.

Ducking under the next violent slash, Naruto spun on his knees with his sword out from his body, nearly cutting Kai's leg. Getting to his feet, he jumped back, avoiding the stab from above as Kai lodged his sword into the ground. Pulling it out, he jumped towards Naruto who had just landed. Naruto fell back to his back as Kai came in for a roundhouse. While his leg was above him, Naruto jab him in the spot behind his knee.

Kai landed and fell over when his leg gave out. He rolled out the way when Naruto threw his sword down where his chest would have been. The unarmed Naruto rolled forward and caught Kai's wrist before he could continue his slash. He leaned his head out of the way of the right straight and kicked him in the chest sending him tumbling backwards. Kai stood up on his unresponsive leg and scowled at the redhead. Naruto rushed him and grabbed his sword on the way.

He slid on his side, avoiding the bunch of kunai thrown by the curly haired man. Kai jumped and threw his sword down, hoping to impale the still sliding enemy, but Naruto expertly shifted his body over, missing the blade by a hair. He rolled again, barely missing the ground breaking stomp that nearly crushed his body. Kai yelled in rage and threw his sword forward, missing the blonde and instead impaling one of the watchers in the head. Naruto looked back momentarily and paid for it when he returned his gaze as Kai was already in his face, delivering a kick to his chest that made him lose grip on his blade. Before he could grab it, Kai jumped up and kicked it away.

Naruto took that distraction and grabbed onto his raised leg. He held it until Kai fell back onto his back and kicked him away. They both rolled to their feet and rushed again. Kai slid down, avoiding the flying straight kick as Naruto flew over him. Getting back to his feet, he blocked the redheads follow up spinning back kick with ease and delivered a barrage of his own punches into his momentarily exposed ribs. Naruto hopped back and cradled his chest with green chakra emitting from his hands.

He didn't have much time as barrage of kunai flew his way, he jumped out of the way and the watchers behind him deflected the blades, suspending them above the platform. Acting quickly, Naruto kicked one forward and grabbed another. The one he kicked forward was caught by Kai who was already rushing him. Naruto parried his strike with a slash of his own.

The two were deadlocked in a struggle of strength. Hand and hand, kunai and kunai. Kai peered into the black eye holes faintly seeing the cold, lifeless blues staring back at him. Loosening his wrist, Naruto allowed Kai's kunai to sore towards himself, stabbing him in the shoulder, as he plunged one into his thigh.

"Argh!" Kai yelled kicking him back with his other leg. Naruto rolled with the hit and stood back to his feet, now fresh out of weapons. Kai was now limping as he struggled to stay on his feet. Naruto rushed him, ignoring the injury to his shoulder. He engaged him throwing a feint right hook that Kai leaned back to avoid. When he did, Naruto jabbed him in his injured thigh. "Argh!" he yelled again, dropping down to his knee.

Naruto stood over him as if he already won. His breathing was steady and he didn't seem as though he even fought yet, other than the blood leaking from the hole in his shoulder. Kai's eyes were traveling around the room, looking at the people who were looking at the spectacle in shock. No one said a word, they just watched on in disbelief.

"This is the peak performance of your so called unstoppable leader?" He asked in a condescending way. "Not bad, but I have definitely had better battles."

Kai chuckled and stood back to his feet. "Oh, believe me, I've got a lot more." He said as he started to walk back into the tunnel. Naruto raised his eyebrow, wondering if he had given up. "Close combat is not my forte… if you'd really like a battle, we should take it outside."

Naruto watched him for a second before following. "…Hn…"

 **-break-**

The hefty group of people now circled around the field outside of their hidden base. Everyone trying to cram around to see the fight. It had been so long since they witnessed their leader go all out and it would seem he would have to if he wanted to win this fight. When everyone settled in, the field was completely quiet aside from Ino who was sharpening Naruto's discarded blade off to the side with the seven higher ups.

Naruto stood calmly on the other side of the field waiting for Kai to do whatever it is he believed would win him this fight. Kai was still trying to get used to the pain in his leg by bouncing on the balls of his feet a few times. With a sigh, he stopped. He pulled his shirt off, revealing a body riddled with tattoos all kinds. He looked over at Naruto who was as unintimidated as he had been the whole time.

"I am finished with this game of cat and mouse." He said with conviction in his voice. "You wish to lead my people, I will not make it easy for you."

Naruto said nothing. He took off running across the field intent on continuing their battle. A few feet away from him, he jumped to his left, dodging the ball of flames headed his way. Immediately being forced to move again as another one came soaring towards him. Using his limited knowledge of earth jutsu, he slammed his hands into the ground and a wall shot up in front of him, barely standing up against the ball of flames that collided with it.

Kai watched the smoke clear away for a brief second before jumping up and away from the hands that popped out trying to snag his feet. Naruto jumped out of the ground and began rushing him again, performing a string of hand signs along the way. Kai blew another fireball his way which Naruto jumped over. Seeing this, Kai blew another one, but Naruto had finished his hand signs and blew a ball of water bigger than Kai expected, dousing his flame and coating the field in a thick mist.

Kai jumped from the mist, not wanting to be caught in a trap. He stared into the cloud of white, awaiting some kind of movement. A shot of an air bullet tore through the mist too quickly for Kai to avoid completely so he leaned out the way slightly causing the bullet to shoot through his arm. Grimacing at the pain, he jumped out of the way of the next two, avoiding them narrowly.

Naruto went through even more hand signs and blew a ball of flames at the curly haired man. When Kai jumped away to avoid it, Naruto smirked beneath his mask, pulling at the thin ninja wire in his hands. Kai noticed the wire just in time and contorted his body clear of being tangled in it. In doing so, he didn't notice the redhead come in with a brutal knee to his rib cage, sending him tumbling back down to the ground. He held his ribs and looked up at the two redheads who began walking towards him.

He looked around at the people that were giving him the same look they were before. The look that told him he was losing. In truth, this was all he had. This man before him was too powerful. The people feared his almighty strength because he was able to easily beat Sasori, but in truth, he had help in doing so. It would seem he needed that help here as well.

He stood up with a very intense look in his eyes. He took a few steadying breathes before he rolled his shoulders out. With a somewhat painful expression, a tattoo on the back of his neck began to glow an orange almost red color and began to… expand. Like markings of flames, it began expanding across his body rapidly, stopping just past his nose, almost reaching his other eye. The orange faded to black and the markings looked like regular tattoos. He felt… amazing.

Naruto watched him in interest. "…I knew you were a snake." He said lowly, crouching down lower into his fighting stance. Kai's eyes lit up in excitement. The power within him was overbearing but incredible. With a crazy look in his eyes, he took off.

(Cliffhanger!)

 **AN: There we go. A pretty good chapter in my opinion. Hope you guys enjoyed. Till next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Welcome back! Now, this is the chapter that builds up to the conclusion of this story! I feel yes, it's a bit rushed in a way, the pacing of this entire story has been just completely atrocious which is completely my fault. Had I actually planned the story out, it probably would've been a better read. Who knows, I've got college coming up so I may learn some new things and come back to rewrite this.**

 **While on that topic, I am writing another Naruto story that I actually AM planning out. It involves Naruto's family post war, but it has a twist to it. It will definitely be a tearjerker family fic, so if you enjoy that, please add me to your favorite author list for updates on my new stories.**

 **I am also thinking of doing a "One Punch Man" fan fic, because to this day, I have yet to see a good one that is well written. It's absolutely illiterate garbage that these people are putting out, I am truly sorry if you have written one. Maybe I haven't read it. If you have written one I would love to read it so hit me up.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 10**

Charging in, Naruto jumped over the barrage of kunai that flew faster than they had previously. When he landed, Kai was already in his face. He leaned to the right to avoid the fist flying towards his face. He immediately had to block the follow up right that shook his body. Kai spun around and delivered a brutal kick to his stomach, sending him skipping across the ground a few yards.

Naruto rolled back to his feet and tried to lean out of the way of the round house coming to his face but it was too late. He took the hit and was once again sent skipping across the ground. Kai stood in his spot with the black markings still covering his body. Naruto picked his mask up enough to spit the blood from his mouth. Standing back to his feet, he rolled his neck out and rushed again.

Kai rushed as well, when in range he went for a right hook that Naruto sunk under and delivered a jab directly beneath his extended bicep. Kai grimaced and kneed him in the side. Naruto rolled with the hit immediately and jumped into a 360 to avoid the low kick directed at his knees. In his spin, he brought a fist out that connected brutally with Kai's chest. The two got back to their feet and traded another series of blows until Naruto's superior speed allowed him to gain the upper hand.

Kai rolled to his back and kicked himself back up. He leaned back avoiding the roundhouse kick that almost took his head off. When he righted himself, he lunged forward giving Naruto a shoulder charge that threw him off balance. With an opening he gave a spinning back kick to his side sending him again tumbling across the field.

Naruto rolled out of his tumble and leaped as hard as he could to his right, avoiding the much more potent ball of flames heading his way. When he landed, he saw Kai performing more hand signs. He awaited his next move. Kai finished his string of seals and put his hands out to the side. Miraculously, two whips made of flames shot out from his hands. Naruto was still unfazed.

Kai swung one around above his head and snapped it towards Naruto. Naruto rolled out of the way of it and immediately had to jump to avoid the other one that swung just underneath him. He allowed himself to fall to the ground, avoiding the next one that swung right over top of him. Then he rolled across the ground, avoiding the next strike coming straight down at him.

Acting quickly, he rolled to a crouch and slammed his hands against the ground causing another wall of earth to shoot up in front of him. Kai sent both of the whips around either side, trying to hit him from within his cover. To his surprise, he heard him pop out of the ground from a few feet behind him. Turning around, he saw him going through hand signs. Kai snapped his whip towards him in an attempt to cut his jutsu. Naruto jumped to the side to avoid it. When he landed he stumbled, almost losing his footing.

Kai took the chance and swung both of his flame whips his way. Before they could hit however, they dispersed without his doing. He tried to bring them back, but they refused to manifest again. "What the hell…" he muttered running through the hand signs again. As he was doing that, the onlookers were watching in both amusement and amazement as the real Naruto stood directly behind their former leader having just gently placed a seal on his back. It was a remarkable thing to see their seemingly all powerful leader being made to look like a fool.

"Borrowed power makes you weak when it is no longer within your reach." Naruto said casually alarming Kai. He quickly jumped off to the side, facing off against Naruto and his clone.

"What the hell did you do?" Kai asked darkly. He grabbed at his neck as his curse seal began retracting.

Naruto began walking casually towards him and dispelled his clone. "I have cut your contact with that seal upon your neck." He said as everyone else grew confused. "A gift from Orochimaru I assume." He said casually, further shocking the crowd. Up to this point, they had assumed it was simply a technique of his that involved some kind of boost in his abilities.

"So, you've seen it?" Kai asked rolling his body out, now that he would have to fight without it.

Naruto shrugged, his pace never changing as he stalked towards him, as calm as he's been the entire fight. "Once before."

Kai couldn't admit it, but he was a little scared at this point. This is exactly what he had been so afraid of. He feared his death before he was ready. All this time, he held his army back for fear of the Kage taking action upon him and ending him, now in an ironic turn of events, his fear of death from the Kage had led to his much more humiliating death at the hands of a man he didn't even know. It was a laughable death for a spineless leader.

When Naruto came into his vicinity, Kai threw a basic punch his way, in an effort to fight to the end. Without the curse seal, he could now feel his injury so he had a very wobbly base that killed him in this situation.

Naruto caught the fist with ease and held it in place, staring him in the eyes. "All that power you claimed to have – and this is all you could put up?" he asked, amplifying his voice to further humiliate the man in front of his army of onlookers. "If you were a lesser man, I'd excuse your childish boasting." he said snapping his arm with a violent flick of his wrist. "But, you are a supposed all powerful, fearless leader."

Kai looked around at the onlookers, noticing the faces of absolute disappointment, amazement, and hope? He was losing his people. They weren't here for him, because he wasn't there for them. Everything his father fought and died for. Everything his grandfather created had gone to waste because of his cowardice. He wobbled on his feet a bit before using his remaining good hand to take another swing at him.

Naruto punched Kai in the throat before he could even completely throw his punch. Kai's hand instantly retracted to his throat. Naruto watched him for a second, tilting his head in wonder at the vehemently coughing man. He then jabbed him in his shoulder, causing his last remaining arm to fall limp to his side. "It is men like you that truly disgust me… Kai." He said, spitting his name out in a mocking way.

Kai glared at him and for whatever reason attempted a head-butt. Naruto just sent a sharp jab, breaking his nose. When Kai lifted his head back in order to both soothe the pain with no hands and stop the bleeding, Naruto spun around and delivered a brutal back kick to his exposed knee cap, dropping him to his knees.

"It is men like you." He said, again amplifying his voice. "That eat away at the fiery passion of the scorned for your own selfish gains. In truth, if you were honest with your people, they'd know the true reason for your so called, 'New plan'" Naruto once again mocked, air quoting the last two words.

Kai spit the blood from his mouth, but couldn't speak with his crushed windpipe.

"People." He said pacing around and addressing the crowd of onlookers. "This man that you have all so graciously devoted your services to has had no intentions of fulfilling the acts he has promised." He stopped his pacing and placed his hands behind his back. He bounced on the balls of his feet in an almost amusing childlike manner. "You see, Kai here." He gestured to him. "Kai, fears death."

The crowd of onlookers were looking on in confusion.

"Of course, I know what you're thinking." Naruto continued, starting up his pacing once again. "Everybody fears death… it's only natural." He said, speaking for them, basically summing up what it was swimming through their heads. "But, ladies and gentlemen, you must believe me when I say that no man has ever changed the world with a fear of death holding him back. _No man_ has liberated an oppressed nation with the strings of death securing his feet to the cliff of safety. It's preposterous to believe in a leader who is not willing to give his life for his own cause." He said.

The surrounding men and women were muttering amongst themselves. Naruto couldn't tell if he was winning them over or not, but he was determined to drive his point home.

"From the looks of you, I just know there is a passion for the cause. I can tell you people want retribution for the true evil of this world. Most of you I'd assume view that as the major villages." He said receiving more than a few chuckles and murmurs of agreement. Naruto nodded to them. "Believe me, I get it. But, listen to me now. Your hatred is misplaced." The crowd was silent, intent on listening to what he had to say. "The major villages are merely victims to the chaotic clutches of the established order. Order that has been instilled by the brutality of many years of war."

Ino stood behind the group of the seven elites, watching their body language and noticing the subtle signs that Naruto was slowly winning them over. So far, it already looked like Zabuza and Kisame were on board, if their nod of agreement towards each other was anything to go by.

"The villages are victims yes, but the Kage are the perpetrators." At this the people actually cheered a bit, clapping lightly in acceptance of his words. "The unspoken truth of the matter is that they are the guardians of the modern standards of civilization. The ones that hold the leash upon men and women who seek something more. Who seek a future of equality among us all."

The crowd returned to their murmuring apparently trying to discuss amongst themselves if Naruto was telling the truth.

"I too seek this future. And I can assure you, I am more than willing to die for such a cause… I can almost guarantee that I may when this is all over. But if I am to die in the process of exposing these false gods for what they truly are, I want my actions to mean something. In order to do this, I am in need of an army." He said. "I need an army willing to fight and die for the cause. Just as I am willing to do the same."

No one said a thing, as they just stood there.

"That is my purpose." He said casually. "I don't want to kill them." He said shaking his head. "No, that's too easy. There's no pain in death. I want to humiliate them. I want to strip them of everything they hold dear and make them understand me. They have to understand that they are the antagonists."

To everyone's surprise Pakura stepped forward. "How do we know you're not just blowing smoke like Kai?" she asked daringly.

Naruto turned to her and slowly paced towards her. "Because, unlike Kai, I have a vendetta… I have a mission that I will complete if not with an army then by myself. Unlike Kai…" he said once more kicking the still immobile man over so that he was laying on his back. "I do not fear death. I don't fear the Kage. Unlike Kai, I have real power."

"Real power huh?" asked Aoi, stepping forward alongside Pakura. "You didn't look like much to me. Kai was just a lot weaker than I had imagined. If I had known, I would've killed him myself."

"If you wish to take his place, then you will have to fight me for it." Naruto said casually. Everyone could tell Aoi was afraid, but for some reason, he stepped up to the plate. Pakura saw the coming battle and stepped back to watch. Everyone knew Aoi was strong, so if this man could hold his own against him, then there was some merit to his words.

Aoi drew his sword and stared across at his opponent. Naruto just stood in his spot undeterred by the fabled sword. Aoi waited with batted breathes, hoping Naruto would make the first move. When he didn't it only boosted Aoi's confidence that he wasn't as strong as he led on.

He took off in a sprint, determined to end this quickly. When he made it to the masked red head, he swung his sword wildly and Naruto side stepped it. Aoi was thrown off balance and stumbled forward. Naruto caught him in a choke hold and with absolutely no effort began closing his wind pipe. Aoi tried to free himself by stabbing at Naruto over his head, but a clone he didn't see him make plucked the sword from his hands.

"I was lenient with Kai, because I wanted to see what he could do." Naruto said eerily so that everyone could hear. "You however, are quite famous for your prowess, so I have no need for a prolonged battle." With that being said, everyone was shocked beyond belief when he spun his neck completely around with no effort at all.

The crowd of people were all stunned in silence. Even the remaining six members couldn't believe it. They had all sparred with Aoi at one point so they knew he wasn't that easy to take down. Or he shouldn't have been.

Naruto picked up the discarded sword of the thunder god and walked around the field until he spotted something. He walked over to the man that had lent his weapon to Kai. "I do believe you are in need of a new blade." He said handing it over to him. The man was absolutely stunned to have received such a famous blade. The onlookers themselves were stunned to see someone hand a relic of that magnitude over so willingly.

As if it were a casually thing, Naruto just went back to addressing the crowd. "Believe me when I say I have the strength to carry out my ideals. I have the knowledge of how to do it. I have the unquenchable drive to see it through. All I need is an army willing to do so as well."

Everyone looked around at each other weighing their odds.

"If you are still not convinced.. I am willing to take any of you on to prove my point." He said daringly, mainly directing his statement at the remaining six higher ups.

To everyone's surprise, Deidara stepped forward. Naruto eyed him suspiciously, expecting him to attack. To everyone's surprise, he kneeled and bowed his head. Gasps and murmuring erupted around the area. Everyone watched on as Kisame and Zabuza joined him. Then, Hidan and Kakuzu, and finally Pakura who was now convinced.

Seeing their higher ups bow to a man that had just defeated their previous leader, slowly the two hundred men and women began dropping down, bowing before the man who had promised action against the Kage. Ino walked over happily to him, skipping a few times in a childish manner. "Looks like we have our army hun!" she quipped happily.

Naruto smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Looks like we do."

* * *

"Any news?" Menma asked as Kakashi walked into his office. The message of warning had been sent out to Sakura and Sasuke a week ago. They were due back in a few more days.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Meh, Sasuke and Mito responded with some mighty big news." He said casually plopping down on the chair in front of his desk.

"What is it?" he asked him cautiously. "Did they run into the masked individuals?"

Kakashi stopped him before his string of questions ran wild. "No, no, nothing like that." He said waving him off. "It's a bit more personal…"

Menma shook his head in confusion. He didn't understand what he was getting at.

Kakashi rolled his eye. "Uh, Mito's pregnant."

Menma sat back in his seat in surprise. Mito was… "She's pregnant?" he asked with a smile slowly creeping onto his face. "Wow… now, I'm gonna be an uncle!" he yelled out pumping his fist in the air. "Father, Hokage, and Uncle…" he said to himself.

"Yup, impressive rap sheet." Kakashi remarked from behind his book.

Menma was all teeth. "Are you not excited!?" he asked him in amusement.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, there's more news… I just wanted to give you the good before the bad..." he said dangerously. Menma sat up in his seat ready to listen. "Well, I'm waiting on one more person who needs to hear this." He said.

"What does it pertain to?" Menma asked, now getting a bit worried about what he was about to say. Kakashi just stared at him and shook his head as if telling him he couldn't say it without saying all of it. Menma just leaned back in his seat, his mind running circles thinking about what it could be. Had Sasuke been killed? Had they been captured? Had Naruto died or something? He wasn't certain, but he just had a feeling he knew who was on their way.

Sure enough, his father came in, raising his worry. If his father was here, then it definitely pertained to either Sasuke and Mito, or Naruto. He wouldn't be too thrilled about either of them.

"Kakashi? What is it?" Asked Minato, taking the other seat. He only nodded at Menma who nodded back. If Kakashi took it upon himself to actually call him out for something, he knew it was something big.

He and Menma stared at the dazed looking silver-haired man waiting for him to say it. With a sigh, Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. "There was word from Kiri. We sent word for a more detailed description of the two masked assailants." He said with a heavy tone. Menma and Minato stared at him with an uneasy feeling welling up. Somehow, they both knew. "We know who it is…"

"Don't tell me…" Minato said shaking his head and dropping his gaze down to the floor. He didn't even want to hear it.

"It's Naruto… isn't it?" Menma asked timidly. Kakashi didn't respond, but his silence said enough. Menma shook his head and sighed. Now what? He's attacked two nations already. There was no leniency for that. If the other villages were to find out, they'd demand his head immediately. Well Suna and Kiri at least. Kumo and Iwa, to his knowledge, had no issues with the masked individuals. Then, the issue of it being Ino with him. That was another headache. Now it was certain, she was no victim in this. She was his accomplice and the most likely way he escaped.

"What now?" Minato asked. He couldn't believe it. His name was already tarnished as is, but now with having attacked two nations, no one would dispute it. Naruto Namikaze was no longer salvageable. What's worse, his actions could cause more problems for Konoha. For Menma especially.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Menma… I know this puts you in a tight spot." He said drawing his attention. "But, if it comes to it, and Naruto becomes a major problem for Konoha and the other villages, then you must be Hokage first and his brother second."

Both Menma and Minato understood what he was saying. Menma immediately wanted to dispute that, but how could he? Minato's heart ached, but he understood what he was saying. If Naruto was truly set in his ways, then he would have to be put down before he hurt anyone else. It hurt him more knowing that he was partially responsible for what his son had become.

"Kakashi… I couldn't… I couldn't possibly." Menma began.

Minato butt in before he could finish. "He's right…"

Menma was completely shocked by that statement. "t-…Tou-san…" Had he really just agreed to kill his own son? "How could you even say that?"

Minato shook his head sadly. "Menma… Naruto is not well… and if he's running around killing people, we may have no other choice but to put him down." Menma sat back in his seat again, his heart shattering within his chest at the mere thought of having to do such an unspeakable act. "Believe me… I know how you feel, but if it comes to it… it just has to be done…"

"What if we find him before he does more damage?" Menma asked, trying to find a way around this. Kakashi and Minato shared glances with each other. "I mean, we're the only ones who know who he is, so if we could find him and Ino before then, we could probably take them back undetected."

Kakashi sighed. "Menma, it doesn't work like that." He said scratching his head. "Even if we did get him back, he'd be thrown in a prison immediately, or worse…"

"Well what's a better option?" he asked in frustration. "What, just kill him?"

Minato sat up in his seat. "Menma, there are just things that must be done. I doubt Naruto would even let us take him alive."

"What do you mean 'let us'? I'm sure with me, Kakashi, and Sasuke there wouldn't be much he could do." Menma responded, letting slip a bit of his arrogance.

Kakashi wasn't as confident. "Menma, do not underestimate him." He looked much more serious than they were comfortable with. "I can't explain it, but this is not the time for arrogance…"

Menma shook his head in confusion. "Kakashi, I said me, you, and Sasuke."

Kakashi just shook his head. "Just, don't take him lightly." Kakashi said, looking down at his own foot.

* * *

Naruto, Ino, and the six higher ups sat within a room with a round table. Ino was on Naruto's lap with her bare feet propped up on the table as she stroked his hair. Naruto and the others were speaking of Naruto's plan. Or as much as he was willing to tell them.,

"What was the estimation?" Naruto asked directing his statement towards Pakura.

She shuffled through a few papers. "Uh… about even all around. About fifty for Konoha, forty for Kiri, forty five for Suna, forty for Kumo, and fifty for Iwa."

Naruto nodded as he absentmindedly rubbed his hand against Ino's exposed thigh. "Hm… well if I were to guess for you lot. I'd sayyyy you Pakura are definitely leaning towards Suna.. Deidara, without a doubt, Iwa. Zabuza and Kisame Kiri, and that just leaves Konoha and Kumo..." he continued to rub Ino's leg in thought. "Well, in any case, everyone will have the choice of which village they decided to lead their attack on. If there are any shortages, we will have to balance it out with willing individuals."

"When is this whole attack business happening anyways?" Asked Deidara.

Naruto tilted his head up in thought. "Well, immediately of course." He said casually. "No beating around the bush. Although I am a patient man, I have been waiting for many years. Now is the time. If we allow that alliance of theirs to solidify it will only make our task a lot harder." He said casually. "Well, there are eight of us here… First things first, we must first take our incentive." He said darkly, confusing them all.

"Yay! Sounds like fun." Ino quipped happily wrapping her arms around Naruto's neck.

* * *

Flying atop of his explosive clay bird, Deidara stared down menacingly at the village below. Familiar streets he knew all too well with maroon flags waving proudly upon every building. It had been so many years since he's been here and it was so… technologically advanced. TV's new stores he had never heard of, it was impressive. 'It'll look even better in rubble.'

His hatred for this place stemmed from their mistreatment of him in his younger years. In Iwa, you were either born fortunate enough to survive on your own or you were handed over to the military for either experimentation or early training. With both of his parents vanishing, he was handed over to them and subjected to the former.

His eyes caught a glimmer of something in the outskirts of the village. He tossed down another of his flying creations which swooped down to the spot. Moments later, the bird returned with a blood splattered Hidan on its back. "Hidan. Did you get the information?" he asked.

Hidan nodded, licking the blood from off the edge of his sickle. "Oh you bet your fucking ass I got it. Man, this is the most fun I've had in years!" he yelled out, looking down at the village he had no quarrel with. In truth, he just enjoyed destruction. All around destruction.

They had left right after the meeting. Naruto had explained a condensed version of his plan to the entire army and had them divide themselves based on which village they decided to attack. He explained that they were to wait at the base getting as much training in as possible until they were called to action.

The higher ups left for their assignment of sending a message. Everyone had their task in mind and were determined to do it. They had more than a few objectives they were told they must complete before returning. There was a spark that was ignited within them all now that they were actually taking action. When their new leader said he had a goal, he was definitely not one to beat around the bush to make it happen.

After only a week, they were already taking action. Deidara chuckled as he mentally ordered the birds to take them up into the cover of the clouds for the time being. His eyes staring intently at the setting sun, waiting for it to be swallowed by the horizon.

* * *

Standing atop a very high cliff overlooking their previous home, Kisame and Deidara readied their blades. Kisame had a very excited grin on his face and Zabuza's was set in a nonchalant manner. "Oi, this sure brings back memories, doesn't it?" Kisame asked peering over at the man.

Zabuza just rolled his shoulders out. "Ah…" he said in reply with a small nod. "It's been a while since we've actually fought together." He said looking back to him.

Kisame's grin widened. "And what better way to get back at it than against our own home?" he finished with a chuckle at his own joke. His shark skin sword was already purring in excitement. Kisame had a dark history with this place. He refused to admit that he at one point admired their psychotic Kage who was intent on destroying bloodlines. Ironic given his unusual mutation. "So, you want to grab the kid? Or me?"

Zabuza chuckled. "It'd be dead before its use ran out if I let you do it." He said in amusement. "You just handle the distraction." Kisame grinned wider, displaying his sharp teeth. Zabuza's eyes dazed over, staring at the gentrified village he had left behind all those years ago. It was almost sickening how peaceful it seemed as the last time he was there it was nothing more than a stain upon the elemental nations.

The last time he was there, the war had taken the last bit of life he had left in him. Killing the child he had taken under his wing just a few years prior. That was his vendetta. That's what brought him to Kai who promised the vengeance he sought. He wanted the village to suffer the way they made him suffer all his life. From his blood-filled academy days to his last few years of service. He wanted them to suffer for all of it and now, with the help of their new leader, they finally would.

"So, you trust him?" he asked the blue skinned man to his right.

Kisame looked over at him to ensure he understood the question. "It's been a week and we're already attacking." He said as if there was no question.

Zabuza nodded. "Yeah, but there is something else, I know it. He's got some other objective he's not telling us."

Kisame shrugged. "If we get the revenge we need, I don't care what he's planned." Zabuza just nodded and looked out to the horizon. The sun was almost down, it wouldn't be too long now.

* * *

Standing on a giant sand dune, two beautiful women, one green haired and impressively muscular, the other a dainty looking blonde who was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. "Oh, I can't wait to work with you!" Ino chirped happily looking over at the stony faced woman.

Pakura looked over to her, just mentally wondering what the hell was wrong with this psycho. She was far too happy for someone who had killed a group of Genin on their way here. "…Dido…" in truth, the mask creeped her out as it seemed to match the girls tone of voice… misleadingly sweet.

"Do you want to grab the package or would you rather be the distraction?" Ino asked her.

Pakura just shrugged her shoulders. For whatever reason, something inside of her was telling her she did not want to get on this girls bad side. It wasn't just because of her boyfriend being her leader either. It was something that was just screaming that this girl was far more dangerous than she let on. "It's up to you."

"Great!" she quipped happily as she clapped her hands. "I'll be the distraction. I get to use my new toys!"

Pakura wasn't sure, but she knew it wasn't something she would have liked to face if she were on the other side of this attack. Had it not been for a few bad events, she may have been on that other side. Luckily for her, the higher ups hated her for what she was and they tried to kill her. That was their first mistake. After two years of following Kai, Pakura was losing hope in her ever having the revenge she so desperately wanted. Now, with the directing of Naruto, and a firm plan set in action, it was finally time. What they did was unforgivable and she refused to let them get away with it.

Turning to the horizon, there was still a bit of time before their attack was due to take place. In an effort to dig up some kind of feel for her new leader, understand their relationship, and get used to the blonde's personality she started a conversation. "So, what's leader-sama's deal?" she asked casually.

Ino looked over to her in confusion. "Are you asking me about my honey?" She asked in an almost threatening way.

Pakura noticed and quickly defused whatever deranged thoughts she may be having. "n-No, I was just trying to understand who he is…" she said quickly.

Ino gave her a very unsure look from beneath her mask. "Well, don't get any ideas lady. And you don't need to understand who he is."

"What is he? Your husband?"

"Soon to be." She said happily placing her hands together and tilting her head in a cute way.

Pakura was weirded out but continued anyways. "Well, who is he?... You know, under that mask."

Ino looked at her eerily for a few seconds. "… You don't need to know who he is." This time, it was definitely said in a threatening way. "It's almost sundown, get ready." Pakura was alarmed by how hostile she seemed to turn all of a sudden. She turned away and prepared for the mission.

* * *

Standing on a lower mountain, Naruto and Kakuzu awaited the fall of the sun. It was almost time for them to attack. It was decided that Kakuzu would take the role of the distraction as Naruto was much more stealthy and deadly within close proximity which is where their target resided. The sun was a sliver away from being completely consumed by the horizon.

"It's time." He said to Kakuzu who simply nodded and followed him as the jumped towards the bridge to Kumo. Naruto looked up and the sun was almost none existent. "As soon as darkness takes over, began the assault." He ordered.

Kakuzu said nothing as his body began to bubble and his stiches began to come apart. Four of the masks connected to his body shot out and created bodies of their own. He nodded to his redheaded leader who nodded back to him.

"It will take no longer than twenty minutes." He said as he jumped off the side of the bridge, intent on taking a different path.

Kakuzu watched the last ray of sunshine slowly disappear until it was completely gone. Wordlessly, the creatures on his back sprinted towards the entrance to the mountainous village with the only purpose of causing as much damage as possible for twenty minutes.

He jumped onto the back of his creature containing the infinity of fire element and they shot into the air. While there, he went through hand signs and blew an enormous ball of flames at the busiest section of the village he could see. The people had no time to react and were burnt to a crisp. Within seconds, the shinobi within the surrounding area were on him, demanding what he was attacking for. He remained silent and continued to wreak havoc upon the citizens of Kumogakure.

Using chakra, Naruto clung to the bottom of the Raikage's office. He waited closely to the nearest open window, listening for his chance to enter. He could feel the vibrations of Kakuzu's attacks so he knew the Raikage could feel it too.

"What was that!?" Yelled a fairly drowsy sounding voice from within the office called out. He could hear a few footsteps charging towards his office.

"Raikage-sama!" another male voice yelled, this one much more urgent sounding. "We're under attack!"

Naruto could hear the Raikage's chair slide out. "Alright." He said. "Samui… take Ryui into the vault. You'll be safe."

"Ok. You better come back Darui…"

After that brief yet heartfelt commotion moment, Naruto heard a heavy door shut, and footsteps charging back down the hall. Slowly, he crawled up to the open window. Climbing in, he looked around suspiciously making sure no one was around. When he was certain, he walked further in slowly. He could hear small pouts and reassuring whispering from somewhere.

Turning his head, he grew alarmed when he saw the Hachibi form near the front of the village. That means Kumo's jinchuriki were still in town. At least one of them. He had to be quick.

Going up to the vault, he knocked on the door. From within, the woman called out to him timidly. "d-...Darui?"

Naruto did his best impression of the man he had just heard a few minutes ago, adding a bit of labored breathing to make it real. "Samui! It's me, open the door. We have to leave, now!"

"Daddy? What's wrong?" A child's voice called out.

"Ryui, everything's ok. We have to go, now." He said with the same level of urgency. He could hear Samui urgently trying to open the door and he tapped the door as if he couldn't contain himself.

Samui was shocked to see someone other than Darui. She stepped in front of her son with a kunai in hands. "Who are you!?" she demanded dangerously.

"I'd love to fight you, but I am afraid I am pressed for time. If you'd believe me, I'd rather not hit a woman in front of her son." He said casually.

Samui's fight or flight syndrome was kicking in and the only thing on her mind was the will to save her son. She rushed forward slashing at the assailant, but Naruto grabbed her wrist, spun her around and delivered a sharp chop to the back of her head, putting her to sleep. Then, he was left staring across at the five year old dark-skinned boy looking at him in fear.

 **AN: There we go. Short chapter I know, but I am setting things up for the thrilling conclusion. Hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know if you guys would enjoy a One Punch Man fic. I loved the show, I could read the Manga, so just let me know. Till next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Welcome back! Now, I know this is a quick update, but there is a reason. I worked very quickly on this chapter because I forgot to inform you guys that I will be gone for a few days. I have college orientation so I will not be writing for about three days. This will put the story on hold for a few days. I will upload the next chapter no later than Monday night of next week. So, be patient and await the next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 11**

Flying above the silent village, Deidara and Hidan watched the horizon. As soon as the last sliver of light ate itself, Deidara dropped the strange looking creature from his hand. As they watched it fall to the ground, Hidan leaped from his own bird towards the target they were told to retrieve. Deidara just watched on as his creature suddenly expanded into a very huge blob of white that looked like an incredibly obese bird. Before it even hit, he could hear the screams and a small smile teased on his face.

When his creation impacted, there was nothing but silence. Then a flash of light blinded him momentarily, followed by a booming explosion that he could feel from his bird. He smiled seeing ninja rally to the point of impact to recover survivors. Jerking his hands forward, he threw out two more creations. Both of which expanded into different creatures that shot forward like missiles in a nose dive straight for the bulk of the people.

No longer needing cover, he swooped down on his clay bird and began throwing out smaller creatures that still packed more than enough bang to decimate a target and then some. He swiveled and swerved away from the pitiful jutsu thrown his way as he continued attacking shinobi and civilian alike.

He jumped off of his clay bird just as two earth spears impaled it. Quickly, he created another and looked towards the origin of the attack. He saw none other than the Yondaime Tsuchikage herself, Kurotsuchi. Deidara grinned and dodged her next barrage of rock missiles, countering with a barrage of his clay creatures.

 **-break-**

Hidan used his sickle to climb up the side of the mountain. When he made it to the top, he ducked down in the bushes as a group of individuals were being escorted towards a shelter away from the village by two Chunin. The two ushered the group into a cave and prepared to shut it with a boulder. Before they could do so, Hidan had decapitated one of them with a clean strike with his sickle. The other one he only managed to nip his arm. Sadly for the unaware man, that was all he needed. Performing hand signs, his body turned black and the outline of an apparent skeleton appeared over his skin. He pulled a black rod of some kind from somewhere on his form and impaled his own heart.

The man grabbed at his pouring injury and Hidan turned to the cave. With his sickle dragging behind him, he strolled casually inside. When there, he could see a few wealthy looking civilians, and a few who seemed to have been luckily close when the attack began. The people gasped at the sight of him as they could just tell he was an enemy.

"Good evening yah pompous pricks." He said with a strangely excited tone. "I am here to retrieve someone important." He said casually. "Since this seems to be the VIP bunker, I just know she's here." He clicked his tongue in thought as he casually paced back in forth, looking into the fear riddled eyes of everyone there. He seemed much creepier as he just ignored the rumbles and booms of explosions in the distance.

Feeling the tension getting to them, a middle aged man wearing expensive looking clothes tried to make a run for the exit. Being the closest to the mouth of the cave, he felt he had it. Before he took more than two steps, Hidan's sickle impaled him through the back. The bottom blade pierced directly through his chest and the second sliced through the base of his neck, protruding out the front of his face, leaving the top blade dug within the very top of his skull.

"Uh, uh." He said waving his finger as he continued looking around. "Can't have you fuckers leaving on me now.. Not that I couldn't let you go… I just don't want to." His eyes stopped on a woman nearing her early twenties with long brown hair and green eyes. She looked to be a fairly rich girl and exactly who he was looking for. "Ah." He said stepping around the people to get to her. "Makatsuchi?" he asked.

The girl quickly shook her head no and pushed back further, trying to sink into the rock behind her. Her eyes were darting everywhere, trying to focus on something else, hoping he would leave her alone.

Hidan could tell she was lying and he could've just taken her, but he decided to have a bit more fun. "Well… that's really too bad." He said standing up. Everyone else was afraid to move so no one else tried to dash for the door. Hidan leaned his sickle against his shoulder. "I guess I'll just have to start killing people until I find out who Makatsuchi is." He said with a shrug.

He turned to the man closest to the exit, other than the one he had already killed. The man saw his intention and tried scrambling away. "n-no, it's her- NO!" he yelled before Deidara cut his head clean from his body. The others screamed in horror at seeing it roll across the floor.

He looked around for an answer to his unasked question. With a chuckle he held his hands out. "Really? No one?" Not a single person moved. "Well fuck me, I thought you people cared." He said shaking his head. "How inhumane." As he was saying this, he brought his weapon up again and prepared to bring it down on the next individual which, to everyone's horror, happened to be the previous victims shell shocked son, not even ten years old.

"Wait!" yelled a feminine voice. Hidan looked over to the girl he knew was Makatsuchi to begin with. "i-It's me!... please, it's me…" she said with fear oozing from her tone. "Please… don't hurt me." She was clearly on the verge of hysterical tears.

Hidan was still holding his sickle up above his head. He looked around the room at all of the hopeful faces. He then looked down at the kid with his head down who he was seconds away from butchering. "Eh, what the hell. I already brought it up." With a disgusting sound of impalement, he split the kid's skull in half.

The room fell quiet at the horrific act. Even after he got what he wanted, he wouldn't spare a child. Now, their brief moment of hope when Makatsuchi gave herself up was squashed.

Hidan sighed as if the task was so taxing. "Huh, believe me yah little shit. I did you a favor." He walked back over to the girl who was now regretting ever giving herself up as she cried vehemently on the ground, trying to scramble away. Hidan came up and squatted down in front of her. "Oh stop your crying already damn it." He muttered before putting her to sleep.

With his handiwork complete, he stood up and looked around at the rest of the people who were either crying or dead silent, frozen in shock. He slung Makatsuchi over his shoulder and turned to leave.

"Well, it's been a shit load of fun, but I've got to make my exit. You fucks have a nice day!" he called out on his way out. The people were still shell shocked by the events that just took place, but in a selfish way were glad they'd live to see another day. "Hope you die!" or so they thought.

With a whizzing sound, the people looked up at the top of the cave to see paper tags that were seconds away from blowing. Their screams were silenced with a boom that Hidan could feel even in mid-air as he dropped off the side of the cliff with Makatsuchi slung over his shoulder.

* * *

Kisame smirked as the sun disappeared. He looked over to Zabuza who nodded his head. The two men jumped away, ready to begin their mission.

Kisame shunshinned into the very center of the village. He looked around at all of the stunned faces looking his way in both fear and amazement. Finishing his hand signs, he opened his mouth and a continuous stream of water came shooting out, filling up the area incredibly fast until the surrounding, unlucky, civilians were all drowning within an unnatural bubble of water. It was huge and seemed to envelop a few blocks.

Kisame smirked as his form seemed to bulk into a more shark like appearance. From within, he went through hand sign after hand sign, sending off random attacks that burst from the bubble of water that some of the civilians were drowning within. Water dragons, shark bombs, shock waves, they were all being thrown around the village in different directions, drawing the attention of more than a few shinobi.

He watched as those outside of his bubble were trying to save some of the civilians within the area of battle, and those idiotic enough to jump in tried to save the drowning victims. Then, he was greeted by a few ANBU who seemed to believe they were proficient in fighting within water. He smirked and swam faster than they could keep up with, ripping them to shreds with ease.

He went through hand signs again and sent more and more deadly jutsu, shooting from the sides of his bubble. A sick chuckle accompanying his destructive reign of terror. He swam up to the surface, seeing someone he was actually eager to battle. Shark skin in hand, he stared across at the Mizukage, holding his bulky blade in his hands as well. Kisame smirked and sunk back down.

 **-break-**

Zabuza sliced through yet another guard as he rushed towards his destination. Just a while ago he watched the new Mizukage, a young blue haired man with glasses, walk out the building giving instructions to 'protect her with your life' so he knew he was in the right place.

He was disappointed with the skill of the shinobi he's run into thus far. Only one of them was able to put up a somewhat adequate fight that lasted all but twenty seconds. Rounding another corner, he dropped into a slide, avoiding the sword slash that was inches from taking his head off.

He turned around and looked the young swordsman in the eyes. The young man was holding his shaking blade in Zabuza's face, trying to keep his composure. Zabuza slowly stepped forward until the man finally decided to try his luck. Zabuza pulled his giant blade up and blocked the strike with absolute ease. "You are unfit to be a swordsman." He said slicing his body in half straight down the middle.

With that finished, he turned and continued running, ignoring the tremors of the building as he threw his sword forward. It impaled whoever was on the other side of the wooden door with a grunt. Zabuza ran forward and kicked the door open, gripping the handle of his blade to pull it out. He flicked the blood off of it and ignored the now dead man who slumped down behind the door. He jumped, avoiding the slash from the man to the left of him.

While in the air, he scouted the room. There were three remaining enemies and the chair of the desk was spinning, meaning someone jumped out of it. He used the hole in his sword to wrap around the neck of the man that tried to attack him. When he landed, he dropped down, avoiding the overhead slash from the man behind him. He yanked the man in his sword over top of him causing the man who slashed at him to catch him. When he did, Zabuza had already kicked his sword through both of their bodies.

Before he could collect his weapon, the last wannabe swords man rushed him, swiping his blade wildly at him with a war cry. It was an extremely pitiful attempt at wielding a weapon of any kind. Zabuza grabbed his wrist and kicked his leg over the man's arm. He then brought the appendage back around his neck and put him in a sort of reverse arm bar. Then, he dropped down to the ground, bringing him with him. The man's face was pressed to the ground beneath Zabuza's legs. With a jerk of his body, he broke the man's arm, causing him to loosen his grip on his sword.

Zabuza rolled to his feet and grabbed the screaming man's sword, impaling his head to the floor. Silence enveloped the room as Zabuza sighed and plucked his bloodied weapon from the bodies of the two men laying lifeless on the floor. He leaned it up on his shoulder and followed the muffled breathing of fear he heard. With ease, he flipped the wooden desk over, revealing the frightened woman beneath. She tried to scramble away from him and Zabuza just stared at her, before stabbing his sword into the ground next to him.

* * *

Jumping towards another roof, Ino planted another paper bomb before heading to another one to repeat the process. It was almost sundown and she had planted hundreds around the city. They were needed for her plan. When she was set up and ready, she headed back to the rendezvous with Pakura.

"You ready?" Pakura asked her timidly, afraid she was still a bit touchy about their previous conversation that ended in a heated declaration from the masked blonde.

"All set!" she said with a smile and a thumbs up. "Let's have a blast!"

Pakura looked at her strangely but nodded none the less. There was but a sliver of sunlight remaining. "I'm going." Pakura said jumping off the wall in the direction of her target. Ino didn't respond as she sat on the edge, swinging her feet to a tune in her head, watching the sunset.

When it was time to act, she stood to her feet and stretched her body out. "Ok! Time ta make my love proud!" she said looking down at the village. Performing a few hand signs, she pulled her mask up slightly so that her soft lips were exposed. With a deathly innocent smooch to the air a condensed ball of light shot out of her mouth in an arch that traveled high and far towards the center of the village. For a second, it seemed to just disappear within the city.

Ino waited casually for the final product. Then, with a flash of light, an explosion erupted followed by a very deafening boom that rocked the ground she was standing on. She cheered loudly at the destruction until she was spotted by a patrolling Chunin. She stopped her shouts of praise and pulled a scroll from her pouch. Unsealing its content, a sword appeared in her hands. She rushed the boy who was trying to form hand signs. Before he could finish she threw her sword into the center of his chest.

Rushing forward, she plucked it from his body before jumping and shooting off a fireball that was a fairly decent size at the village below. When it hit, she jumped from her high vantage point avoiding the puppet that shot towards her. Looking for the assailant, she saw none other than Kankuro utilizing his personal puppet. Ino smirked beneath her mask and took off through the village, letting off more and more deadly attacks as she went along.

 **-break-**

Pakura jumped through the window of the building she assumed the target to be in. Walking further in she performed a few hand signs and three balls of flame surrounded her body as she walked. As she ran down the hall she was in, she could hear footsteps rushing down the adjacent path. She simply willed one of the balls forward and it cut the man off, slamming straight through his form. He fell to the ground looking as though he was drained of all of the moisture in his body. She picked the carcass up and quickly threw it into a nearby closet.

She could hear multiple steps from above her, but assumed them to be soldiers based on her time here. As she continued running, she jumped up to the ceiling, avoiding the detection of a voice she was sure she knew. It was the Kazekage, Gaara. He was heading down the hall in the company of his apparent advisor, discussing the current attack.

"How much damage has been done?" he asked urgently.

The brown haired man quickened his pace to keep up with the red head. "The assailant has destroyed a very great chunk of the market district. There are a heap of civilian casualties and a few shinobi as well." He debriefed. "Kankuro-sama is currently giving chase." He finished as they rounded the corner.

Pakura was impressed by her partner's destructive capabilities. She had assumed she'd be a bit more dainty in battle. Maybe relying on speed rather than power to handle a fight. She actually doubted she had the ability to play the role of the distraction, but clearly her unease was misplaced. If the Kazekage was on his way however, she'd have to do this quickly.

Dropping back down to the floor, she ran down the hall at full speed and rounded the corner. At the end of this hall was a room reserved for important meetings that could not be discussed around prying eyes. The perfect place for the Kazekage to hide valuables.

Before she reached the door, she threw a kunai with an explosive tag on the end of it. The door was blown open and within, still sitting in their seats were the elderly council members. These were the same fuckers that tried to kill her years ago.

Ignoring that fact, she had a mission to do. One of them saw her rush in from the smoke and immediately grew worried. "No, wait! Paku-.." he stopped as she jumped over their table and blew the door behind them off its hinges. Within was a woman nursing a child. The men at the table stood to their feet seeing her intentions. "She's after the Kazekage's nephew!" one of them yelled.

Pakura had no time for any sort of pleasantries as she reformed the balls of chakra around her. She sent one out and drained the woman who had set the child down to face her. The woman's drained body fell to the ground and she quickly rushed to the crib she had just laid the baby in. Picking him up, she turned around and sent another one of her balls into the room. She stepped to the side of the door and waited.

The ball she sent into the room burst into a sort of mist that quickly drained the life of the five remaining men within. As soon as it did, she took off, staring down at the disgusting men on her way by. Rushing back down the hall, she busted out of the first window she saw. Covering the baby to protect it from any sort of injury, she jumped away from the building.

As she ran along the top of the wall of the village, she looked in at all the damage that had been done. The city was in utter destruction. In the distance she could see sand tendrils chasing after the masked blonde who was too quick and nimble for the Kazekage to catch. She created a clone and sent it that way to inform her that they were done and needed to escape. She didn't want to alert the Kazekage of the true purpose of this mission. She couldn't let him see the bundle for fear of him giving chase.

 **-break-**

Pakura's clone reached the center of the commotion and threw an explosive kunai at the sand tendril coming down on the still recovering blonde. Ino looked up to see Pakura empty handed. The green haired woman just nodded at her and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Understanding the message, Ino came to a stop in a crouch. Looking across at the sand wielding man, she smirked beneath her mask.

"This was fun, Kazekage-sama." She said in a cute tone that was eerily unsettling considering how many people she killed. Gaara looked absolutely furious as the sand seemed to just bubble along with his anger behind him.

"Why have you done this?" he demanded.

Ino just shrugged. "How about I tell you later." She said using her hand to gesture herself blowing a kiss to him.

"You're not going anywhere!" he said bringing his sand up in a threatening way.

Ino smiled and made a hand sign. "Oh, I think I am." Gaara's eyes grew as he was unsure if she was bluffing or not. "You've got a village to save." She simultaneously set off the tags she had placed all over the village before taking off.

Gaara turned around to see all the explosions. He peered back over his shoulder, tearing himself apart on what to do. Should he go after her? Or save his people? Begrudgingly, he made his decision and flew towards anywhere he could hear people calling for help. He order every shinobi near him to assist in recovering the injured.

Pakura waited on the other side of the wall until she heard the massive amounts of explosions. Ino came jumping down and began running with her, giggling in excitement. "Hehehe! We did it!" she cheered happily as they made their exit. Pakura remained cautious of the girl, but ran alongside her regardless.

* * *

The five higher ups who had all returned from a mission complete, lounged around in the meeting room, talking about how great it felt to take action. It has been a week since their simultaneous attacks and they were still waiting on the ladies to return.

Naruto was absent from the group, opting instead to sit on the throne overlooking the main room with a book in his face. He was planning the next move in his head. There was one more task to complete before they were ready. It would be the most taxing of course, but the most satisfying to complete. Getting to a section in his book that made him think, he read the section out loud. "' _War is but a mere stepping stone in the struggle of humanity. A struggle to survive, not only in the basic sense, but to survive in comfortability… survive with pride'_ … huh…"

It made sense. Humanity is selfish. Arrogantly driven by a need to have more than the next man. More power, more intelligence, more money, more land, more lovers, it was all just a pointless objective to blind every one of the truth. That truth being…

"Hi love! We're back!" Ino's voice yelled out as she landed in the throne next to his.

Naruto smirked beneath his mask and looked over to her. "Ah, at last." He said putting his book away and standing up. He held his hand out for her to take which she did gracefully. "Did you retrieve the target?"

"Yes! Well, no. Pakura did. I was the distraction." She said hugging onto his arm.

Naruto looked over to her. "Were you now?" he asked rhetorically receiving a nod of her head against his arm.

"Mhm! And love, my kiss of doom worked!" she said excitedly.

Naruto slowed his pace. "I thought I told you, I don't like you using that." He said holding onto her mask. "You nearly killed yourself the last time you did."

Ino rubbed his hand. "I've got it down now." She said casually as she shrugged her shoulders. "I can do it from up to fifty feet away now." She said with a nod.

Naruto shrugged. "Well, if you say so." He said nonchalantly as he began walking again. Ino rushed him and jumped on his back as she always did. Naruto cupped his hands beneath her knees and carried her to the meeting room as she once again played with his slicked back hair. Even though it was slicked back, it was extremely moist. It was as if he perpetually took showers.

When they reached the meeting room, the others were still chatting away about their complete missions. They were all giddy about what was next, even though they of course expected a few months of inactivity. Well, that's what they expected.

"Be ready." Naruto said as he tilted his head so that the now maskless Ino could freely attack his neck. "We leave for the final portion of preparation in an hour." With his piece said, he turned to leave.

"Final portion?" Pakura asked for the group.

Naruto turned back around and looked at them as if it were obvious. "Konoha of course… we're all going." He said nonchalantly before continuing down the hall.

The six higher ups all exchanged glances with each other. Hidan stood up with a chuckle. "Hoh, I love this fucking guy!" the others didn't verbally agree, but by the way they all stood up with either a grin or a chuckle, they were very pleased as well.

 **-break-**

Naruto and Ino walked down a hall that led to the containment area in which the four kidnapped victims remained within a cell. Well, the three that could provide for themselves. The Kazekage's nephew was being cared for by one of the women of the army a few rooms over. Naruto had set Ino down and they were just casually walking until they got to the front of the cell.

When they peered inside, the three victims scrambled away from the bars. "What do you want!" yelled the woman Zabuza and Kisame had taken from Kiri.

Naruto just stared at her. "Welcome, Rai-sama." He said pleasantly. "You must be wondering why you lot are here." He said pacing in front of their cell. Despite her outburst, she was still very much afraid and backed up to the wall. She even tried to block Naruto's view of the child, letting show her motherly instincts. "I am horribly sorry, but you are here because of your fiancé. I need him to accept my invitation. And if I have you, he'll come running."

Makatsuchi decided to question him next. "Then, why am I here?" her voice was timid, as she already knew the answer.

Naruto just shrugged. "From what I was told by Hidan. You are widely known to be the closest friend to the Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi." He said. "At least that's what the informant told him." Makatsuchi remained silent after that, certain that lying would do her no good. Naruto just went back to pacing.

"w-What are you gonna do to us?" Rai asked in fear as she pushed the little dark-skinned boy further behind her.

Naruto tilted his head at her. "…Nothing… As I said before. You are only here as incentive for your fiancé's attendance." Rai began crying even more hysterically as she slid down the wall. "In due time Rai-sama. Until then, remain here. Shout out to this gentleman here if you need anything." He said grabbing onto a random soldier who was passing by.

The man looked absolutely star stricken standing in front of their leader. "u-Uh! Yes sir!" he yelled with a salute. Naruto patted his shoulder and he and Ino walked back.

 **-break-**

A few minutes later and the group of deadly ninja stood within the field above their base. "Now." Naruto said turning to address them. "The attack must happen now and we have to get there as soon as possible. It takes about ten days total for a message to be sent from Suna to Konoha. Meaning we have an estimated three days to beat it there." He said with a deadpanned tone.

"Oh, we'll make that no problem." Deidara said throwing out some clay. It expanded into a huge dragon, large enough to carry them all. Naruto nodded to him in apparent appreciation before continuing.

"The reason we are all going is because of Konoha's strength." He could see some of them were immediately offended and he defused their anger quickly. "Not as a nation, but individual shinobi wise, they possess the most extensive listing within the bingo books. Everyone will be need to play the distraction other than Ino who will retrieve the target."

"Gotcha hun!" Ino said from his side.

As everyone climbed up on the clay creation, Naruto turned to them. "We attack with no mercy. Cause as much damage as possible. Keep the attention on the main battle field and off of the objective." He said looking out towards the ground that grew smaller and smaller the higher they got. Then, on Deidara's command, they were zipping through the sky.

* * *

Menma and Shikamaru stood on the roof of the Hokage tower looking out at the clear day. He was going over everything they discovered, hoping Shikamaru had a different view point on the whole ordeal. "Ino huh?... so she's alive…" he said solemnly, thinking about his old teammate.

Menma understood what he was going through on a much deeper level. It was his brother. His own flesh and blood. Even though in the past it didn't seem like it, they were a lot closer back before they started their training. It was the common infatuation that any kid would feel for his older sibling. Mito as well, but it was to a different extent with him. They were brothers.

He could remember the days of climbing into Naruto's bed when he had a nightmare, or jumping on him and crushing his ribs to wake him up in the mornings. Those were much better times. The three Namikaze children were inseparable in those days. Crazy when he thought about it being his own selfishness to start training that caused the whole neglect thing to happen. If he had just waited until after they graduated the academy as they planned then maybe his mother and father would have trained Naruto while they spent their time being children. But instead, all of their attention was focused onto him and Mito, leaving Naruto to fend for himself.

For a while, in his Chunin days when they left on their training trip with Jiraiya and his mother, Menma wondered why it was Naruto was so forgiving of them. When he was younger, he wasn't worried about it. His young mind just focused on them returning to normal and Naruto was a part of normal. By the time he made it to the academy, he had so much pride in his brother that he constantly boasted to everyone on how great he was. Of course, he was always overshadowed by Sasuke whose brother was Itachi Uchiha.

Regardless on the trip out the village, he began to mature and understand the world a bit better. When he did, he thought back to those days in the past where they sometimes wouldn't see Naruto for days upon days, then weeks, then ever. It was the first time he truly understood the reason he sometimes found his mother crying alone every now and then. He understood what neglect was and he couldn't imagine how it could affect someone.

So, why was his brother so okay with it? Menma was certain that had it been him in that position, he wouldn't be that care free about it. He saw him in a new light, even from miles away. To him, at the moment of that realization, Naruto was unbreakable. He was too strong both mentally and physically to let anyone or anything hold him down.

Then… they received word, midway through their trip that Naruto Namikaze has been arrested. Without hesitation, the trip was dropped and the four of them ran home demanding answers. It was a shocker to Menma when he returned to a cold shouldered Sasuke who seemed to hate him for some reason. It wasn't until later did he learn the circumstances of the whole incident. Naruto had killed Itachi Uchiha by the manipulation of the Snake Sanin. It was a heartbreaking story to even hear about, knowing how close the two were.

It seemed as though Sasuke would never forgive him, but apparently after their fathers made up, Fugaku gave Sasuke a talk that set his misplaced anger to rest. He absolutely hated Naruto though, which Menma understood of course. It was only a natural human emotion. Regardless of their friendship, he was determined to free his brother for an act that was not his fault.

Point is, he knew exactly what Shikamaru was going through and then some. "What do we do?" Menma asked him, gripping the railing in front of him.

Shikamaru sighed and looked around the village. "Menma, if it comes down to it, we cannot spare them if they plan to continue their actions."

Menma shut his eyes in defeat. Hearing it from Shikamaru just sealed the deal. Everyone had already suggested it to him so far, now hearing it from the one person he knew could come up with a better solution just solidified what everyone else had already told him. He would have to face his brother the next time they met. If he wouldn't listen to him, then he would be forced to kill him. "Do you think you can do it?" he asked him, referring to Ino.

Shikamaru leaned over the rail as well. "Menma... I have a son… If Ino jeopardizes his safety in any way, shape, or form. I will not hesitate… It destroys my heart, but for my son, I will do what I have to."

Menma rubbed his neck, this was already so much stress for just having taken office. He looked up to the cloudy sky in confusion. Why were there so many clouds? It was just completely clear a few minutes ago. As if an ominous warning, a faint clap of thunder from miles away shook the village. There was a storm coming.

"Ugh, I thought we were in for clear skies." Shikamaru said, looking up at the grey clouds looming above. "Damn weather is so unpredictable these days." He said.

"…Yeah…" Menma replied, trying to ignore that feeling welling up within the pit of his stomach.

* * *

Naruto and the others were hidden above the clouds, preparing to attack the village below. Ino grabbed a Kunai in her hand and jumped off the bird down into the forest they were gliding over. Deidara brought the clay bird back to the center of the village awaiting the order. Naruto was mouthing down numbers slowly, as if he were following a clock.

The others were already preparing their first attack. Deidara had two of his clay birds in his hands, Pakura manifested her chakra orbs, Zabuza and Kisame had their swords drawn, the masks on Kakuzu's back tore from his body and took their own forms, and Hidan was itching to leap from the bird and wreak havoc.

Naruto went through hand signs and stuck his hand out. A Rasengan began forming above his palm before a number of things happened to it as it emitted a high pitched screaming sound with blades of wind surrounding it, then from the center of the orb, sparks of flames began spitting out before changing the color of the orb to a very bright white. He held it over the edge of the clay creature with the others watching in wonder. The wind around them twisting violently.

Naruto just continued counting down quietly to himself. "Six… five… four… three…" he went silent as he stuck his hand out more. Then, he casually turned his hand over, causing the deathly looking ball of light to fall from his hand. The others watched it in curiosity at what it would do.

The ball of chakra fell within the crowded market section of Konoha with a few people looking at it in wonder. When it hit the ground, it seemed to melt into the ground momentarily before a deathly ground shaking explosion encompassed the entire area. Silence followed it for more than a few blocks until the deafening sonic boom followed right behind it. The others watched on in amazement as that single jutsu took out block after block.

Before they knew it, they were spotted and balls of fire were being sent their way. "Go." Naruto said as everyone dove from the clay creature that spiraled towards the ground like a missile. While in their freefall towards the village, the group swerved around the projectile attacks coming from all directions. It would seem as though every ninja within the village was already attacking.

Pakura sent one of her chakra orbs flying to the most densely packed area she could see. When it hit the ground it exploded, causing the resulting mist to drain the unlucky individuals nearby. Hidan was using his sickle to slice through the attacks with the help of Zabuza. Kisame was absorbing everything that came within his vicinity, and Kakuzu was on the back of one of his black masked creatures that was protecting him from anything that came too close.

When they neared the ground, they grabbed onto whatever pole or slid off of any building to break their fall. Without question they dispersed, to split the troops apart. Hidan and Zabuza hurdled off towards the entrance of the village until they were attacked by two very well-known Jonin.

They split apart avoiding the wind enhanced kunai that would have impaled one of them. Rolling to their feet, before them were Kakashi Hatake, and Asuma Sarutobi. "Neh, Kakashi. Guess, we'll take these two." Asuma said, ashing his cigarette onto the floor.

Kakashi had his sights set on Zabuza as he lifted his headband. "I guess so." He said drawing two kunai. Zabuza wasted no time in rushing him.

* * *

Deidara zipped through the sky throwing around his clay creatures until he was forced to jump, avoiding, surprisingly, another piece of flying art. This one created with paint. Turning around, he locked eyes with a pale man with a blank expression, eyeing him intently from a bird. His grin widened as he took off zipping through the sky, throwing more creations out along the way. The pale man was forced to either save the people or attack him.

* * *

Pakura landed on the ground and was immediately blown back by a gust of wind. She pulled a kunai while in mid-air, deflecting the massive barrage of weapons sent her way. When she landed, she saw none other than the Kazekage's sister standing next to a girl with two buns in her hair and two scrolls in her hands. "Oh… it's you." Pakura said casually as if she wasn't threatened in the slightest.

"Pakura!" Temari yelled stepping forward with her fan at the ready. "Why have you come here?" she demanded. Pakura ignored her question and formed two more chakra orbs that circled her form. Temari stepped back to talk to Tenten. "Don't let those touch you. You'll die instantly." Tenten nodded and jumped back further, figuring support was her role since Temari had knowledge on the enemy. Pakura rushed forward, dodging the wind enhanced blades being flung in her direction.

* * *

Kisame was using his shark skin to slice down any shinobi foolish enough to try and engage him, simultaneously eating the chakra that they used from the techniques they were sending out. Just as he was about to kill another man, he jumped back, avoiding the kick that destroyed the wall next to him. Looking at his next opponent, he stifled a laugh at his ridiculous appearance. He was clad in a green spandex suit with an idiotic bowl cut atop his head. "Heh, what the hell are you?" he asked pointing his sword at him.

Before he received an answer, he jumped back again, receiving a slight feeling of déjà vu when another one came crashing down, wearing the same get up but a few years younger. "Gai-sensei! Let us fight to win and better ourselves while we are in the spring time of our youth!" he yelled ridiculously.

"Careful Lee." Said a new voice, this one coming from behind him. Turning around, Kisame was greeted to a member of the famed Hyuga clan. "This guys no ordinary opponent." He said as the veins around his eyes began to bulge. "His chakra is unbelievable…"

"Lee!" Gai called out to him with a serious expression. "Remain vigilant… for some reason, I'm getting the vibe that this guy is very dangerous… We will beat him together!" he proclaimed with a thumbs up and a smile that was unnaturally bright. Kisame just watched the spectacle in confusion before readying his blade.

* * *

Kakuzu walked casually alongside his masked blobs of thread as they destroyed everything in their path. He didn't have to do much, but he did reach out and kill individuals every now and then. He continued walking until he physically couldn't. He forced his eyes to look down at his feet to see his shadow was a lot longer than it should have been. He followed it to a young man who was crouched down with his fingers in a strange position. Standing next to him was a pudgier man with swirling patterns on his face, a Hyuga girl, a man on the back of a huge dog, and a kid releasing bugs from his body.

"Eh." Shikamaru said with a sigh. "This one was easy enough. Hinata, put him to sleep."

"Hai." She responded dropping down into a taijutsu stance and activating her Byakugan. When she did, she gasped and looked to the ground. Before she could warn him, a hand thrusted from the ground in front of Shikamaru, grabbing his neck and slamming his face against the floor.

Kakuzu retracted his hand from the hole in the floor next to him and began walking forward again. The group of Shinobi readied themselves for a fight as his five masked blobs of thread shot forward.

* * *

Pulling herself through the window, Ino ran down the hall of the Hokage building in search of her target. She had already checked two different places they could be, but came up empty handed both times. This was the last location she could think of. Hearing footsteps she dropped down into a slide and cut the shinobi running the other way at the knee caps, dropping him instantly. With no intention of putting him out of his misery, she continued on.

Rounding another corner, she saw a door at the very end of the hall with a light peeking through the bottom of the door. She ran full speed and kicked it open. Within was a room with nothing but a single table. But, the light was on and no one was there. Ino grunted in frustration before turning to leave.

Before she took a step, she heard something ever so slightly. Like a thud upon a metal surface. Turning back, she looked around the room, wondering what it was. She walked further in and looked in every possible location there was to hide. But, the room was empty. She was just about to leave when she noticed something unnatural. The chair was pushed too far away from the desk and she hadn't touched it. It wasn't at a distance that could've just been chocked up to someone leaving in a hurry, it was too far. She peeked under the desk again to notice a small fissure in the carpet. It was almost unnoticeable, but she saw it.

Walking over, she pulled at the fissure until a good chunk of the carpet seemed to come up with it with ease. It was like a cut out that perfectly hid the cut when you laid it back into the spot. Pulling it more, there was a metallic door that obviously belonged to a bunker. Ino stared at it with a bit of a grin. She pulled the door open and dropped down into it. Looking around, she spotted what she assume to be the target, laying in a carrier was the daughter of the Hokage. She chuckled a bit before throwing her hands up to the side, blocking the kick that came for her head.

It was hard enough to kick her off to the side of the bunker in which she rolled away from, getting out of the way of the fist that came flying to her. Ino stood at the exit to the bunker, her old friend and rival standing protectively in front of her child.

"Who the hell are you!?" the pink haired girl yelled drawing a kunai in her hand.

Ino smirked beneath her mask and swung her sword around. She chuckled watching Sakura's poor stance. A few years out of training was very apparent already. "Sakura Namikaze." She mocked slowly. Sakura crouched lower with a will to protect her child. "Look, how about you just step aside before you get hurt sweetie."

Sakura adjusted her grip on her kunai, realizing she'd have to fight for her son. The bunker was such a small place that she couldn't fight the way she usually did. She'd have to play defense to protect her daughter.

* * *

Walking down the street, Naruto used his sword to easily cut through anyone who attacked him. He had so far decimated a group of chunin, three ANBU agents, and a number of Jonin. He was fearlessly strolling through the village killing anyone he saw. By now, he expected to have been at least engaged by someone more worthy like Kakashi or maybe Gai. Not a single sight of them anywhere.

He reminisced his time here and also looked casually at the new scenery, well whatever was still standing. There was much more than what he knew growing up. Pulling up his sword, he blocked the kunai headed to his face. Following behind it was an Uchiha police member with his Sharingan activated. He rushed Naruto with another kunai in hand.

Most people would feel some type of urgency when faced against the legendary doujutsu, but Naruto had experience in fighting someone who was known as one of its greatest users. He blocked the slash headed towards his face and slashed lazily towards the man's neck. As expected, the man leaned back to avoid it. When he did, a clone of Naruto sliced his head off with ease from behind him. He stared down at the head of the wide eyed kid and stabbed both of his opened eyes, knowing full well the kind of vultures that preyed around Konoha.

Continuing down the road, he was greeted to two more people. Deep in thought, he didn't even realize he had already killed them until he looked up and their blood was gushing out. The liquid sprayed out and covered the side of his mask. Naruto ignored it and continued on.

Turning the corner, he was on the main road of Konoha, staring straight down the road at the big red building. Without warning a kunai flew towards his face. Stopping it before it impaled his eye hole, he realized immediately that it wasn't a regular kunai by its three pronged shape. With seemingly no reaction, he stuck his hand up, catching the fist of Menma who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

Menma was shocked and quickly jumped back. "… Hokage…" Naruto said slowly walking towards him. The look Menma gave him told him that he knew who he was.

"Please… please don't do this…"

Naruto stopped a few yards away from him. "You've grown." He remarked casually, ignoring his plea. "Hokage now huh…"

Menma tightened his grip on the Kunai in his hand. He looked across at his masked brother with a painful expression. "Why… why are you doing this!?" he yelled to him, demanding an answer.

Naruto didn't react. Instead, he caught the throat of some random Jonin who jumped from an alley next to him. Menma stuck his hand out as if telling him not to. Naruto could see his hand cocking back to throw the kunai. With no mercy or patience, he snapped the man's neck with ease.

"NO!" Menma yelled throwing the Kunai forward.

 **AN: There we are. Now once again, I'm sorry for the brief hiatus, I will be back in a few days to continue the story. Until then, enjoy this chapter. Expect an update by no later than Monday night. Till next time…**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Welcome back! Sorry for how late this chapter is, that orientation was awful, but I am back home and I had to quickly crap out this next chapter… I'm not gonna lie guys, this chapter is crap, it's extremely rushed and poorly written, but I did promise you I'd have it up by tonight. I'm a man of my word so here it is. I didn't even have time to comb through this one so please bear with any mistakes existing within it. Anyways, yeah enjoy. Oh, and I promise to write the hell out of the next chapter. It'll be great.**

 **Side note, I opted out of doing the rest of the fights because of how long it would've taken. I did give you guys the two you wanted and, although the first one was sort of poor, I believe the second one isn't too bad. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 12**

Pacing around the small metallic bunker, Ino stared at the ferocious looking pink haired woman standing in front of her objective. A bit of a smile gracing her unseen lips. She would make this fun on so many levels within the time limit she was given. Rolling her neck with a feminine sigh, she suddenly threw a kunai her way and rushed in behind it.

Sakura knocked it out of the way with her own kunai and leaned back a bit to avoid the sword slash. Immediately she had to parry the next slash as well before it took her head off. Caught in a deadlock, she looked into the dark eye holes of the woman's mask but saw nothing back darkness.

Ino released her sword, allowing it to drop to the side of the bunker and immediately went for a punch to her face. Before it connected, Sakura knocked it out the way and tried to slash at her with her kunai. Ino brought her knee up and hit the inside of Sakura's elbow, blocking her slash. Landing, she caught the fist that Sakura threw to counter.

Sakura tried to slash again, but Ino used her elbow to block it again. Before she could counter, the masked assailant delivered three very quick and sharp strikes to her abdomen. She coughed up spittle and couldn't avoid the kick that smashed into the side of her face sending her to the side of the bunker.

Ino strolled over to her and stood over her with a dominant aura, watching her try to scramble back to her feet. "You're not as strong as they say you are, huh?" she asked her in a mocking way. Sakura made it back to her feet and threw a few punches that were all blocked with ease.

Ino caught her last hit and twisted her arm. Before she could break it, Sakura flipped over her and kicked her in the back, sending her into the wall. Before she could turn around, Sakura had her pinned. "What do you want!" she demanded, feeling as though she had the upper hand. She pushed her forearm up against the back of her neck.

Ino only giggled at her laughable attempt of a threat. She pushed off of the wall just enough to slip underneath Sakura's hold. She rolled away, delivering a sharp kick to her knee. Sakura yelped in pain and limped back towards the carriage to protect Sumire. She began healing the injured knee while keeping a sharp eye on the masked woman. Ino watched her silently.

"Who are you…" Sakura asked again in desperation. There was a very disturbing feeling she got from fighting this woman. She couldn't describe it. It was familiar in a sense, as if she knew her. The hair gave her a thought that she just wouldn't even dare consider.

Ino giggled, knowing for a fact Sakura had a feeling it was her anyways. She brought her hand up and covered the mouth of her mask. Gripping it gently, she slowly pushed up on it, revealing the face Sakura was praying she'd see again one day. Not anymore.

"Ino!" she yelled in shock.

Ino giggled and placed her hands on her hips with a very twisted closed eyes smile on her face. "Hey!" she said cheeringly.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Sakura yelled. She couldn't understand.

Ino, as casual as ever, gave her an answer. "Well, I'm here to get your child. Duh."

Sakura's eyes squinted threateningly. "Why…"

Ino tilted her head to the side and gave her a condescending smile. "Well, because my honey needs her for a… special project." She said with a nod. Sakura's face scrunched up in confusion. Ino understood the unasked question and answered before she could speak. "Oh, you don't need to know his name. Just know he's a brilliant man and he's just here to help."

Sakura stepped back closer to Sumire raising her fists defensively. "I don't care who it is, you're not taking her."

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh come on billboard brow. You know you're no longer a match." She mocked. "Especially not in this conveniently tight space we're in. What are you good for other than destructive punches? You really want to risk tearing this bunker up and endangering your own child?"

Sakura's head and guard slowly lowered at the mental bombardment of words. She had neglected her training for the sake of motherhood. Over a year of no combat has dulled her skill immensely. Now she wasn't even able to properly protect her own daughter. Raising her guard with a fire in her eyes, she readied herself for a battle to the death. Because, that was where she was willing to take this.

Ino watched her ready herself once again. Figuring she couldn't keep this going on for too much longer, she raised her fists as well. Before she left, she had to prove the point that she was far stronger than she was. She had been on the raw end of the deal with this woman for far too long. Sakura got the training at one point and she blew it with her lack of focus. Love can make you weak, but it could also make you strong. Ino was about to show her what the latter looked like.

Sakura rushed forward and threw a wild haymaker at the blond. Ino ducked the strike and jabbed her twice below her bicep. Sakura ignored the little hits and swung her other arm. Ino rolled out of the way and rushed her again. Jumping up, she used her left knee to block her blind right hook and drove her right one threw her chin.

Sakura tumbled to the ground face first. Ino waited for her to get back to her feet. When she did she rushed the blonde again with no hesitation and a fire in her eyes that had to be felt.

* * *

Flipping back, Naruto avoided the Rasengan that destroyed the spot he was previously standing at. He landed in a crouch on the side of a building, staring down at Menma who shot towards him with rage in his eyes. Naruto waited for him to reach him before cutting the chakra to his feet and falling towards him. Menma skidded to a halt, seeing Naruto shoot towards him like a bullet. He leaned back, causing the red head to fly past him.

Turning around, he leapt from the side of the building avoiding the ball of flames that destroyed the entire wall. While in the air, he noticed another one heading his way, throwing his kunai through the flames, he teleported to it and had to pull his head back before Naruto's knee caught his chin. In his outstretched position, he couldn't avoid the heel coming down towards his face. It smashed into his face, sending him shooting head first into the ground below.

Kicking up off the ground, Menma turned and was met with a soaring Naruto who smashed brutally into the side of his body, kicking him into the shop behind him. Naruto rushed in and grabbed a chunk of debris that was falling from the top of the wall. He threw it at the blonde Kage who was trying to pull himself out of the rubble he was thrusted into. Menma dodged it and rolled away before Naruto's heel struck his chest.

Before Naruto could correct his footing, Menma tackled him into the table behind him. Hitting his back on the edge, he caught his balance and flipped Menma over him. Jumping up, he drop kicked the table back to Menma who had just landed. The table smashed into his body, briefly pinning him to the wall. Naruto ran up right behind and kicked both the table and Menma through wall and back onto the street. Naruto jumped out and avoided the paper bombed kunai that shot into the shop. He rolled forward, avoiding the flying debris from behind him.

Rolling back to his feet, he quickly hit his back again, before Menma's knee connected with his masked face. He kicked himself up and jumped the follow up leg sweep. Menma took advantage of his suspended form and hit him in the side, sending him tumbling towards the ground. Naruto rolled out of his tumble and continued running up the side of the building with Menma chasing him. Before he reached the top, he stuck his hand out, catching the wrist of a sword wielding shinobi who tried to catch him off guard. He pulled the guy from the top of the roof and jumped away. While in the air, he kneed him in the face causing him to release his grip on his sword.

Before they hit the ground, Naruto had already decapitated him and kicked the head at the still chasing Menma. Menma dodged the disturbing projectile and continued with a rage in his eyes. He pulled two of his kunai on the way and threw one at his opponent. Naruto threw his own kunai stopping it between the two as he rushed forward as well. Before Menma made it to him, he was tripped up by a hand popping out of the ground.

He rolled until he was on his back. He quickly pushed his feet up, kicking the wrists of Naruto who was falling towards him with the sword ready to execute him. He brought his leg back and delivered a strike to his knee, dropping him down. He quickly disarmed him and pulled one of his arms down over his shoulder while he wrapped his legs around his neck, putting him in a triangle hold. He pulled as hard as he could, trying to black him out, but Naruto picked him up and slammed him on the ground, cracking the earth beneath him.

Menma's grip loosened just enough for Naruto to free himself. When he did, he picked him up by the collar of his cloak and swung him around until he let go, throwing his limp body into the side of the building behind him. Menma stood up painfully, wiping the blood that dripped from his mouth. Naruto just stood in his spot menacingly, staring at the downed form of his little brother.

Menma stood to his feet and rushed again, Naruto waited for him to reach him and when he did, he delivered a brutal kick to his chest, stopping his charge. Menma staggered back in pain for a second before he was kneed in the face, audibly cracking his nose. With no time to recover, he flipped away and landed on the side of a building, clutching his face in pain. Before he could react, another Naruto kicked the wall from within, sending him flying through the air. He set his eyes on landing on the building across the street, but before he could make it, he felt two hands clasp down on his ankles. Naruto began spinning violently through the air to pick up momentum. When at the peak of his speed, he released his grip, sending the blonde crashing painfully into the ground.

When Menma landed he flipped over and barrel rolled out the way before Naruto crushed his body as he landed in a crouch. Standing back to his feet, he rushed towards him and pulled two of his kunai. He threw them both to either side of the redhead and went through hand signs. The two blades became many and lodged into the ground around the waiting redhead.

Menma grew agitated at the seemingly undeterred manner of his older brother. He showed him absolutely no respect, even now given his position. Naruto stood stock still awaiting Menma's next move.

Menma rolled his shoulder out, staring at his masked brother intensely, planning out what he wanted to do. Throwing another kunai down next to his own feet, he disappeared. Suddenly the area around Naruto lit up in multiple flashes of yellow in an attempt to blind him. Naruto didn't even react. He just stood in the center of the field of kunai.

As if a practiced routine, he threw his hand up, blocking Menma's right hook with ease. Menma disappeared again and the blob of flashes continued. Naruto ducked, avoiding the kick to the back of his head before Menma continued. With a sigh, Naruto turned around and stuck his hand out, somehow grabbing the neck of his younger brother as he flashed to the kunai beneath his dangling feet.

"Ah, Otouto." He mocked from behind his mask. "It's like you don't even truly understand the jutsu." He said casually. "Maybe the Yellow flash himself can enlighten you a bit." He released his grip on his neck, letting him fall before he flashed away.

He landed on his butt at the kunai he placed away from the red head who didn't seem to be looking at him. Tracing his eyes, his father stood a few feet away staring at Naruto. "Tou-san! Get back!"

Minato looked over to him for a second before looking back towards Naruto. "Naruto…" The redhead remained unfazed staring off against two of the Hokage. "Why have you done this?" He remained silent. "What was your plan?"

Naruto scoffed. "Do I look like a guy with a plan?" he asked ominously.

Menma stood to his feet and positioned himself next to his father. The two of them stared over to the other male of their family with steely resolves. "We will not allow you to destroy the village." Menma called out with finality in his voice.

"…Destroy the village?" Naruto asked casually. "Is that what you believe I was doing?" Menma and Minato sunk into their stances ready for anything. Naruto looked up to the sky and saw something that seemed to catch his eye. "Well, in any case. I'm done here." He turned around and began walking away.

Menma stepped up in haste. "Wait! After all of this, you think we're gonna let you walk away!?" he yelled incredulously. Naruto just continued walking as if he couldn't hear him. "Hey!"

"Try and impede my gracious retreat and I can promise more damage will befall the village." He called out over his shoulder. "Risk it if you wish."

Menma readied his kunai before Minato grabbed onto his elbow. Menma turned to him in question. Minato just shook his head sadly. "We can't beat him here… it'll cause too much damage." Menma clinched his teeth and stared at Naruto's retreating form. "I don't like how easily he's giving up… Go check on Sakura." Menma's eyes shot open and he focused his chakra. He couldn't sense her seal, before he could voice his concern, Minato calmed him. "The bunker blocks the signal of the Hiraishin, to avoid all detection." Menma nodded and took off.

* * *

Naruto, now on the back of Deidara's clay bird, did not care to wait and call out to the others down below on his way out. They just joined as he and Deidara passed low enough for them to jump on. Soon, everyone was onboard aside from Zabuza who had Kakashi's Raikiri pierced through his chest. Naruto spared him but a slight glance before ordering Deidara to continue on.

"Ha-haa!" Hidan chuckled, swinging his sickle around. "That was fucking amazing! I killed so many of those rat fuckers!"

Kisame chuckled. "Heh-heh. What's your count?" he asked him with his and Zabuza's sword slung across his shoulder.

"Too fuckin' many!" Hidan replied with a grin. "Where we going next O' Great Leader!?" he asked in excitement. Naruto stared over the side of the bird, looking through the trees until he spotted Ino.

"We're going to greet an… old friend." He said ominously.

Pakura looked at him in confusion. "What? Right now?" she asked. "You don't allow rest do you?" Deidara, Hidan, and Kisame chuckled at her as they continued on the way. Kakuzu didn't seem to care much and Naruto ignored it as well. They swooped down and scooped up Ino before shooting off away from the hidden leaf. By the time they realized the Hokage's daughter was gone, they'd be too far to catch.

* * *

(3 days later)

Menma sat in the chair next to his wife's hospital bed. He was staring at her bandaged form trying to think up their next move of action. Naruto attacked the village, tried to kill him, and has taken the most important thing in his life. Before, he had in his mind the thought of trying to speak with him and talk him out of whatever it was he was planning. Now, there was nothing but a will to kill him.

Never before would he have thought that he'd have a will to kill his own brother. It would have never crossed his mind, but now it wouldn't leave it. With the absence of their most loved family member, the whole family had made up their minds, even his mother. There was still a heaviness in his heart that was praying for another way, but when his own daughter was at stake, there was no other way.

No matter how sure he was in his own abilities, he knew for a fact he couldn't beat Naruto. That last battle told him as much. Maybe had he used the Kyubi he could've forced him to fight seriously, but for fear of losing control, he held back to his strongest technique which he just recently found out was useless against another user. Naruto could have ended him at any time, and it wasn't until the end of the battle did he realize that. It's like his intention was to humble him.

It would seem that this endeavor of ending this was not Konoha's own responsibility anymore. He received three letters in the past three days. From Kumo, Kiri, and Suna all describing their attack and the theft of their Kage's loved ones. Menma had no idea what Naruto could be planning, but he felt as though it was falling into place.

Maybe he was planning on inciting a war? It held all of the components of such a task, but that would be quite obvious for someone as intelligent as Naruto. Maybe it was the simplicity of the objective that made him want to do it? Possibly, but it was too risky to assume anything. All he knew was that every living shinobi connected to a village was calling for his head. Well, aside from Iwa as far as he knew.

A knock broke the silence and before he could even answer, two people marched into the room. "Is it true?" asked Mito with a very heated and desperate look in her eyes. Sasuke stood behind her, just as alert.

Menma sighed and stood to his feet. He walked towards the window and stared out at the destroyed village. "He took Sumire-chan…" he said, letting that ring in the air for a few seconds.

Mito held her own stomach as she looked down to Sakura who was still out cold. She couldn't even imagine… "Well, what the hell are we gonna do?" she asked him urgently.

Menma spun around. " _We_ … are not going to do anything." He said firmly, drawing attention to 'we'.

"Why aren't you out there trying to find her!? Why haven't you just teleported to her!?" She began again, feeling her anger slowly rising.

Menma shook his head. "Naruto has tampered with her seal… we can't feel the pull." He said in disappointment. "We've tried everything…"

"So, what we just sit around and do nothing?" Mito asked, taking a seat next to Sakura and grabbing onto her cold hand. "What if he… what if he kills her?"

Menma's focus was on the white blanket, contemplating her words. "…he… he wouldn't do that…" he tried to tell himself.

"Menma…" Sasuke said, for the first time making his presence known. "Look around you… look at how many people he's killed... Are you still trying to defend that monster?"

"No, I'm uh… I'm just…" he couldn't find the words. "We'll find her…" he got out, staring out the window once again. His eyes staring out to the horizon. "We will…"

All three of them were alerted by the sound of very urgent footsteps charging down the hall. The door was flung open and the gate guard burst through. "Hokage-sama! We've received another note!"

Menma walked over to him. "Is it Iwa?" he asked, the man looked down at the note and shook his head. Menma took it from his hands and a look of shock and hope lit his face all tied together with an underlining of worry.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, walking towards him. Menma turned around, reading the message a few times over before reading it aloud.

(NOTE)

 _ **Dear Hokage,**_

 _ **It is to my greatest pleasure that I offer you this invitation to an event that may allow you to retrieve a certain prize I have taken from your village. Since it is a prize, you must follow the rules of the game I have set up down to the tee. Any ulterior actions will be taken as an immediate forfeit and your prize is eliminated. The rules of this game are simple:**_

 _ **-You must meet me at the location marked on the back of this scroll in three days.**_

 _ **-Bring with you nothing but yourself, any Kage of your village still living, your strongest Jonin, and one other individual of your choice. (optional)**_

 _ **-Arm yourself for a battle**_

 _ **The rest of the instructions will be given in person among your arrival. I pray you head my warning and stick to the rules, my patience is far from what it used to be. No late entries will be accepted. Failure to comply with the rules, failure to attend, and failure to cooperate throughout with result in forfeit. Good day Otouto.**_

Menma clinched the scroll shut and stared at the ground beneath his feet. What was this? Was it some kind of game to him? He snapped his fingers and an ANBU dropped from the shadows of the room, kneeling before him. "Bring my father and Kakashi." He said with finality.

Sasuke looked at him in question. "I'm going." He said, as if he were demanding it.

Menma shook his head and walked towards the window. "No, no I need you here."

"Menma, he's the strongest Jonin, who's stronger than him?" Mito asked, defending him.

"Kakashi is." He responded quickly. "I am sorry Sasuke, but you are not match for Naruto… I don't even think I am."

Sasuke stepped around Mito and made his way over to the blonde Kage. "We can take him together… you know we are strongest together."

Menma sighed and rubbed his head. "Yeah, but you have a personal vendetta that will cloud your judgement. I can't take you Sasuke. I need you here with Mito."

"Here with Mito!? I'm going too!" she yelled in anger as if him even suggesting she wasn't was some kind of insult.

Menma spun around. "Are you kidding? Mito, you're pregnant. You're not going anywhere."

"I don't have to fight him! I could just… talk to him…"

Menma just stared at her. She didn't yet understand. "Mito, he's not the same anymore. There will be no talking to him." His eyes held a finality to them that Mito had never seen before. "He took Sumire."

"So you really want to kill him?" She asked.

"You don't? That's your niece!" he yelled back at her. "You don't understand yet, because you haven't had your child."

"He's right." Came a new voice. Walking into the room, Minato held the hand of Kushina. "Mito, I understand how you feel… we all do." Kushina couldn't even make eye contact with anyone in the room. "Naruto has done the unforgivable... He's attack our home and taken Sumire… we cannot allow him to do any more damage."

Mito looked around at all of them, everyone else seemed so content with the decision. "Then, I'd rather not go anyway…" she said leaning back into Sasuke's chest.

"I am taking Kakashi and Tou-san." Menma said. "I don't know what he has planned, but it can't be good."

"What about the special guest?" Sasuke asked, peeking Kushina's interest.

Menma shook his head. "It says it's optional. I don't think it's neces-.."

"I'm going." Kushina interrupted, shocking everyone. Menma stared at her, shaking her head as if he were preparing to refuse. "Menma… please…"

Minato was looking at her with remorse. "Kushina… you can't save him."

"That's not why I want to go." She quickly said. "Minato… this is our fault. This is all our fault and we have to be the ones to fix it." Minato didn't reply as he refused to dispute her statement. He very much agreed with her, but he didn't want to let her know it was fine to blame herself.

"Kaa-san." Menma said, getting their attention. "You wouldn't stand a chance… I'm sorry for saying it, but Naruto is in a class of his own… And by the way she handled Sakura, Ino is far stronger than she was back then as well…"

"I am not weak Menma." She said in a threatening way. "I can handle myself."

Menma sighed in frustration and looked over to Minato, visually telling him he would leave the decision to him. Minato looked over to Kushina and noticed that look in her eyes. It was a look he hadn't seen in a while. He slowly nodded and turned back towards Menma. Menma got the message and finally relented. "Ok, Kaa-san." He said nodding towards her. "Just… just be careful."

Kushina shook her head in agreement, a fire in her eyes blazing with determination.

* * *

(2 days later)

An unnaturally placed earthen platform jutted out from the raging waters, far from the shore they had set out from. Naruto watched from the front of the boat as five other smaller platform jut out from the front of the platform and on the other side, a rectangular platform rose, this one with two throne like seats placed on it. The creator of the construct, an orange haired man with a weird series of markings on his face. "Will that be all Leader-sama?"

Naruto stepped forward. "Yes, that is fine. Jugo." He said jumping from the boat and onto the side of the rectangular formation. The other occupants of the boat headed up as well. They walked up to the respective platforms and began writing some kind of seals on the edges of the platform. Naruto and Ino sat on the thrones casually watching the others at work.

Ino was holding Sumire in her arms, rocking her to sleep. She looked over to Naruto who was now reading another book. In truth, worries clogged her mind. With five Kage now pining for their heads, she couldn't see Naruto's plan ending with them walking away in victory and failure in this case meant death. Was this some kind of suicide mission?

It made sense when she thought about it. She knew Naruto was not a big fan of life, and he admitted to her that he was not suicidal. Maybe, subliminally, this was some kind of plan to make his death a lot more likely. It wasn't an uncommon tactic among the people with his level of psychosis.

"Hey, babe?" she called out to him, turning back to Sumire to seem nonchalant. Naruto looked towards her in question. "What's the plan?"

Naruto just stared at her for a second. "I told you doll face. It's a surprise."

Ino wasn't content with that answer. "It doesn't feel like… whatever this is gonna work… Or like we'll even survive."

Naruto turned back to the people working on the seals. "Ino. Death cannot be a factor when proving a theory such as this."

"What theory?" she asked, finally looking over to him. Naruto dropped his book and looked out in the distance in thought.

"Well, it is far from pointless. I'll tell you that much." With that answer, he stuck his nose back in the book. Ino got the hint he was finished talking of the matter. She didn't want to push for fear of him thinking she was beginning to question his plan. Instead, she went back to playing with Sumire.

Naruto read a line in the book over and over. His new piece of literature was something he was given from one of his soldiers. It was a book that delved much deeper into the concept of conflict and the theory of chaos and order. What was strange about the book was the fact that it held no author. By the way it was written, he'd have thought he had written it himself based on thoughts he had yet to conjure.

The wording of the book suggested a much darker understanding of the things in this world we view as precious. It was written in a nihilistic tone of course, but the words were undisputable. It essentially boiled down to ramblings about the classic tale of the benevolent King and the revolting band of misfits. What was different was that there was no clear protagonist. Unlike most books, the line of 'good' and 'evil' was so diluted it was almost nonexistent, leaving the decision of who to follow up to the reader. Strangely however, the antagonist was clear, but there was no protagonist.

For Naruto it brought forth the realization that there was no impartiality between making either connection. A crowd was quick to point out an individual as 'evil' when their ideals didn't exactly match up. Yet, when it came to picking a hero, no one could decide. It brought him to the realization that this entire scenario directly displayed that.

He was the clear antagonist. The undeniable evil that stained this world with his existence, no matter what his reasoning's were. He was no hero, not even for the people that followed him. He was simply someone who was willing to tilt the scale that balanced the peace with the chaos and they craved that. In truth, they were all vultures that he refused to empathize with. They had their own vendettas and hatreds with this world, but were too afraid to stand above the crowd and deliver the first blow.

The 'hero's' were of course the Kage who so expertly had their people clinging to their feet in prayer, treating them like gods. It sickened him in a way to see a man bow at another man's feet so willingly. It was disgraceful for many reasons. He couldn't grasp the concept of it, even though he himself had done the same thing for most of his adolescence.

The book described it as 'not a hierarchy of power, but a hierarchy of fearlessness'. In other words, a man will bow to a man who fears less than him, or appears to. A man who is willing to draw the attention of death and not care. These Kage were ruling as false kings, yet they didn't know the meaning of such a position and how rotten it truly was. Especially Menma, and it irked him so. His own family seeping into such a vindictive cycle. He refused to stand for it.

Standing to his feet, he watched all of the seal users had finished their tasks and were standing on the middle of the battle platform, chatting amongst each other, waiting for his orders. Seeing his movement, the crowd quieted almost instantly. Naruto stood at the edge of the long rectangular platform and eyed their work from a distance. "Very good job. You are all free to take your leave."

The men all nodded and jumped back down to the boats awaiting them down below. Naruto jumped down to the arena platform and inspected the seal personally, changing things as he saw fit. When he finished he jumped to each of the five other platforms and did the same thing. By the time he had finished, the day was coming to an end. He jumped back up to the throne pillar and retook his place next to Ino who had her body slung out across the armrests of her throne, feeding Sumire through a baby bottle.

"Everything good?" She asked him, kicking her shoes off and resting her feet on Naruto's armrest as he sat down.  
Naruto nodded and sighed. "Yeah. Now we wait."

Ino looked up and smiled. "Not for long. Looks like our cargo is here." Naruto traced her eyes and looked up to see Deidara's clay dragon approaching, carrying the bound and gagged forms of each of the prizes.

Naruto stood to his feet and directed Deidara in where to place them. He had them all spaced out evenly along the rectangular platform in front of their thrones. Each of them chained down to the ground beneath them, facing the arena platform. Well, all but the one that was too young to even walk.

They were lined up based on their village. To Naruto's far left was the son of the Raikage, with a chain around his neck connected to the ground. The next slot held the Tsuchikage's childhood friend. The third slot, which was directly in front of Ino and him was left blank. The fourth slot held the Kazekage's nephew resting within his crib. The final slot had the Mizukage's fiancé slouched over on her knees with rope tightly securing her arms behind her back.

Step by step, Naruto went to each of the different slots and went through hand signs. He slammed his hands upon the ground behind them, causing their specific area to light up briefly before moving on to the next one. When he finished all of that, he retook his seat and sat with Ino, waiting for the fruition of this confusing plan to play out. A play he wasn't afraid to admit was a borrowed experiment. And so, they waited…

* * *

The next day, Menma, Kushina, Minato, and Kakashi navigated the waters towards the coordinates listed on the back of their scroll. The silver haired Jonin steering their boat. Everyone was fully armed and prepared for war. That's what it felt like at that moment. Like they were heading into war. Every wave that smacked into the side of their boat felt like a distant heartbeat that increased with the tension in the air.

Nobody was talking which increased the eeriness of the situation. Menma sat against the side of the boat, staring out into the foggy looking waters. Fear was gripping his heart and his mind ran wild with thoughts. What if this was some kind of trap? He was sure it wasn't by how honorable Naruto seemed to be even considering his actions. It would be the perfect opportunity for an ambush and that is exactly what he was expecting.

He was really trying to clear his head so that his judgement wasn't clouded during the battle. Out of the four of them on the boat, he was the only one that has never experienced war. Everyone else seemed so calm or at the least composed about the situation. It made sense considering their history with events of this magnitude, but a piece of him wanted to argue that they just truly didn't understand the threat that was his brother.

He himself had no idea how monstrously strong Naruto was until their last battle. Had his father not shown up when he did, Naruto would have killed him. They did not understand the magnitude of his strength yet. Of course with their own many accomplishments, they had confidence in their own abilities, but this was something else. Something much more overbearing than he was willing to admit.

That realization came to him during their fight. Naruto did much more than just handle him, he did it with ease. It was the first time he felt humbled in years. When he could finally match his father in a battle, a man who was marked as a 'flee on sight' shinobi in the bingo books, he figured he was on par with anyone he came up against. Well, this was a very different level altogether.

Finally, his eyes caught sight of a set of rock formations with boats surrounding the bottom. It would seem that they were the last to arrive which was strange considering the sun hadn't even risen yet. Staring up, they tried to get a feel for how high it was, but couldn't see past the mist. They pulled up next to the smaller pillar that held the symbol of Konoha on its side. The four of them nodded to each other and jumped up to the side of the platform and began running up.

When they finally made it to the top, they were too late to hear the protests of the others and a barrier shot up around them. They looked around to see the other Kage and their guests all bickering to themselves. Directly in front of them, the arena platform remained barren and further away, the platform containing the prizes.

Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi stared at Naruto who didn't seem to notice them at all as his book was still plastered in his face. Menma stared at the blonde who was holding his daughter in her arms.

"Hokage!" yelled a feminine voice off to their far right. "Nice of you to finally show up!"

Menma finally tore his gaze away from his daughter and looked over to the platform right next to them holding the Tsuchikage who had addressed him. "Tsuchikage-sama." He greeted with a nod.

"Maybe now we'll start this crap." Said a dry lazy voice on the other side of her.

Menma looked passed her and nodded to Darui, the Raikage. He then turned the other way and greeted the Kazekage Gaara who was to his right and Chojuro, the Mizukage on the end. "So, any idea what we're in for?" he asked them all.

"No! The piece of shit hasn't said a word since we got here!" yelled the Tsuchikage looking up to the higher platform. "As soon as I get out of this, I'm killing him."

"Then I guess this is just a race to see who can get to him first." The monotonous voice of the Kazekage replied.

Menma just stared up at Naruto wondering what it was he planned to do. He had everyone here, it seemed like everything was set up so what was he waiting on? "…Hey!" he yelled up, thinking maybe he just didn't notice them yet.

"Don't waste your breath. He won't respond." Chojuro informed him.

Minato stepped up next to him. "Tou-san… I can't feel her pull." He informed him.

"I know." The blonde man said. "Neither can I. He must be disrupting it somehow… even from such a short distance."

"What do you think about this seal?" he asked him, examining its unique green tinted glow.

Minato just shook his head. "I haven't seen anything like it in a long time." He said running a finger over it, noting how solid it felt.

"You can't do anything about it?" he asked hopefully.

Minato seemed a bit iffy about it. "I don't think I can risk it. Knowing Naruto, it wouldn't be as easy as tampering with its writing which isn't even visible… We should have planted kunai on the boat." Menma nodded his head in agreement.

"Make sure Kaa-san is holding up ok." He said as Minato nodded and stepped back to Kushina. Kakashi walked up next, looking much more tense than he's ever seen him.

"So what's the plan?" he asked him lowly, not wanting to be heard by the others. "We just wait?"

Menma shrugged his shoulders. "Seems like we don't have a choice." Kakashi nodded and fell into silence. For the next twenty to thirty minutes, the groups of shinobi all fell into silence awaiting whatever was to come.

* * *

Ino played with Sumire, trying to make her laugh. She looked over to Naruto wondering what he was waiting on. She got her answer when he finally looked away from his book and out to the sea. She giggled. "Is it so important to wait on the sun?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged, still looking at his book. "Gives them time to plan." He replied with amusement in his tone. Ino nodded and went back to playing with Sumire. Naruto continued reading his book, every now and then peeking over to the horizon, just waiting for the very first glimpse of light.

Sometime soon, the prizes began waking up, garnering the attention of their respective parties. Naruto watched all of their interactions in interest. It was a few minutes of very dramatic eye contact and whispered words of reassurance. When the time allowed it, there was also planning among the Kage for ways they could take him down. It was laughable watching them seemingly form these sudden alliances and it brought truth the saying ' _The enemy of my enemy is my friend'_.

Friendship among individuals who believed they were the main protagonist was such a fickle thing. It wouldn't last much longer than he wanted it to. Looking up to the horizon again, there was a sliver of sunlight. He grinned beneath his mask and snapped his book shut.

Everyone turned their attention to him as he stood to his feet. He began pacing behind the prizes, ominously drawing their attention to their incentives. He still had yet to say anything, but he was walking as if this was the beginning. Finally, he stopped on the middle section originally reserved for his niece and stared out at the Kage and their parties. "…Good morning ladies and gentlemen… I welcome you. Your being here means you have accepted the rules and regulations of my game… That being said… Let's have some fun."

 **AN: There we go. Once again, sorry for how rushed this is.**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Welcome back! If you enjoyed the psychological dialect of the earlier chapters, I can assure you that this is going to be one of your favorites. If you didn't… then… well read it anyways, it's got some action in there as well… All in the build up baby!**

 **Before we begin, I have a few *winks* thrown in there that I found fit perfectly. They were lines that I just happened to type as I ran through the conversation in my mind. When writing a character with the tendencies of the Joker, it was bound to happen.**

 **Also Naruto tells a story that is not an original concept, it has just been rewritten. If you happen to be someone who enjoyed reading tales of the philosophers of the past then you will definitely know what it is as it is a very famous one. It's drastically different from the original though as to fit Naruto's ideal. Anyways! Enjoy. Oh! And one more thing. I am well aware Kurotsuchi is a lot more level headed than she appears in this story, but for the sake of the plot, she is the way she is. Now… enjoy**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 13**

"Hey you fucking psycho! You gonna tell us why we're here or not!?" yelled the Tsuchikage from her position on her pillar. Naruto stared over to her without saying anything. Her group consisted of only herself and her selected Jonin, a chubby man Naruto recognized from the bingo book as Akatsuchi. From the information he received on the hot-headed Kage, she was brash, vulgar, and very temperamental so he ignored her impertinent statement.

Ino however did not like that she was insulting her man. "You bitch! Don't you fucking talk to him like that!" Naruto simply put his hand up, ending the string of curse words resting on her tongue. She huffed in relent and went back to playing with Sumire, silently spitting out words of venom.

Naruto stepped back a bit and walked towards the second prize slot where Makatsuchi was chained. Her watering eyes were piercing into her friends in desperation. "I believe you are here to retrieve your prize." Naruto spoke, drawing the much more subdued looking Kage's gaze.

The Tsuchikage's tear filled gaze was piercing Naruto's eye holes with a look that promised death. "You're fucking right. And if you laid one finger on her, I swear I'll fucking kill you!" she growled out, not intimidating him in the slightest.

Naruto nodded at the statement and stepped back to the center of the platform. "I assure you, none of them have been hurt. They are merely incentives for your participation." He said walking to the very edge of the cliff and sitting down with his feet hanging over. The Kage were all visibly aggravated by the act. His casual demeanor about the whole situation infuriated them.

Tired of the procrastination, the Raikage spoke up. "The letter said we would receive more information upon our arrival." He said as if Naruto forgot or something.

Naruto looked over to him and examined his party. There was a man he assumed to be the strongest Jonin of their village, Killer Bee. Then, the blonde woman he knew to be the boy's mother. The previous Raikage was not in attendance however which Naruto found strange. He was unaware he had died. "Yes, and you will Raikage. In time. First, I'd like to explain my reasoning for this venture." He said, receiving an uproar of disgruntled protests. Naruto simply waited for them to quiet down.

"No fucking way!" yelled the Tsuchikage as she took a threatening step forward that was useless in retrospect. "I'm here for Makatsuchi! I didn't come to listen to your cracked out plan!"

"We don't want to play your games, chuckles! I want my son back!" yelled a man wearing a strange black suit with face paint standing behind the Kazekage. He was the only one accompanying him.

"As do I." the Raikage said smoothly. "We would very much rather begin whatever trial you have set up." He said looking up to his son who was looking at his mother trying to reassure him.

Naruto listened to all of their complaints impassively. He turned his head to the right and stared at the blue haired Kage looking over at his wife. His group consisting of another blue haired man with an eye patch and a bald man with two broad swords on his back. "What of you Mizukage? Do you have any complaints?" he asked for no apparent reason.

The Mizukage gazed at him in contempt and grit his teeth. "Let's just get this over with…" he growled out.

Naruto turned back to the middle, staring across the way at the one group that remained silent throughout. The biggest group of them all with three Kage level shinobi and his mother. He didn't address them directly, but he did speak towards them. "Maybe my instructions were not as complete as I had thought they would be." He said pulling four kunai from nowhere. He threw them up into the air expertly and each one landed next to one of the respective prizes with a paper bomb connected to their loops. The group of Kage remained silent, all now more fearful for what they were to say from this point on. "You do as I say, when I say and you get your prize. You don't and your prize is eliminated. Simple as that."

He let that statement hang in the air for a few seconds, watching everyone's reaction. As expected, they were all staring at him with the intent to kill. Naruto was completely unfazed and met their gazes with little effort.

"Now, to begin." He said returning to a casual demeanor. "I do not like you…" They all looked at each other finding that to be obvious. "I don't like you… I don't like what it is you represent, and I despise the people that follow you even though they do so with no fault of their own." He said.

"You have a blatant hatred for the Shinobi villages." The Kazekage said, summarizing what he was saying.

Naruto shrugged. "In a way. My 'hatred', as you called it, extends to a much broader spectrum" he said. "Hypocrisy is something I despise, and you people have it in spades."

"So, what? You hate that we're hypocrites?" The Tsuchikage asked incredulously. "That's why you're doing this?"

Naruto shook his head. "No… no-no. That is but a minor reason for today's test." He quipped rubbing at his shoulder for some reason. "Before we begin, you all must understand what it is that I propose and why I am proposing it." He said

"So this is some kind of game to you?" asked The Mizukage in a threatening way.

Naruto tilted his head in his direction. "Well, of course it is. Which is why you lot have prizes." He said as if it were obvious. "Now, to further your understanding, I must explain the roll you play in society. It is an awful thing you do, you just don't realize it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Menma, speaking up for the first time.

Naruto stared at him. "Patients Hokage. We've got all day." He said ominously. "You all are the respective keepers of order within your own villages. The pinnacle of apparent success that every wide-eyed child strives to achieve. Yet, what you're doing is far from righteous."

"Ok hold on!" Said the Tsuchikage with an arrogant smirk on her face. "I already figured it out." She said. Naruto just stared at her, awaiting whatever ridiculous set of words about to fly out of her mouth. Ridiculous they were. "You were one of these 'wide-eyed' children pining for the position of a Kage. When you didn't get it, you were thrusted into a life of hatred and self-loathing that made you hate the position and the system of the village's altogether. Now, you came up with this psychotic fuckin' plan to show everyone who's ever wronged you how stupid they were for not giving you the position." She finished crossing her arms with a smug look as if she were certain she was right on the nose.

The entire area had returned to silence, everyone pondering the possibility that she was possibly correct. A sudden outburst of untamed chuckles caught them all off guard as Ino bellowed out with a sincere laugh at the ridiculous statement. They couldn't see it, but they could just feel the smirk on the masked man's face and even noticed how his shoulders bounced slightly, indicating he was chuckling silently to himself.

The blonde with the tears of overwhelming giggles is what caught everyone's attention. "Ha-ha-ha! You-haha! You Dumb Bitch! Ha-Haa!" she yelled out through her fit of laughter.

For no true reason, the Tsuchikage was starting to feel a little embarrassment at their blatant disrespect to her knowledge. It was a sound assumption considering the things he was saying. "Sh-..Shut up! You…" she couldn't even find the words to insult the blonde woman ignoring her completely in place of belly-aching laughter.

Naruto seemed to finally calm down and raised his hand for Ino to as well. Slowly but surely her incessant laughter died out. "Interesting theory. Not correct, but interesting." He said with a hint of amusement tickling his tone. "No, Tsuchikage. In honesty, I have never truly cared for the position of a Kage until my recent despise." He admitted.

"What sparked it?" asked Minato, speaking up for the first time.

Naruto stared at him for a moment. "Literature. Believe it or not." He said pulling a book from his pouch. Everyone was surprised by that answer.

"You mean, a book told you to do all of this?" Kakashi asked the question on everyone's mind.

Naruto just shrugged. "Not necessarily. This particular book simply unchained me and allowed me to leave my cave." He said cryptically.

"Tch, figures he'd live in a cave." The Tsuchikage said under her breath.

Naruto ignored the statement and continued on. "Figuratively speaking." He said. "I believe you must hear this story to understand how it ties into you." He said. "You see… There was a man who was chained to the back of a cave, facing away from the opening… He was born within it and had never seen anything other than the shadows casted from the various creatures and people that passed by… For all his life, the only company he had was that of a man's shadow that would stop and speak with him every day and tell him of the things he was 'protecting' him from. This shadow man told him that the things he was seeing were creatures of unspeakable horror and that by being in this cave, he was safe from harm."

"I'm not seeing how this ties into us. This just seems like a fictitious story." The Mizukage said, speaking up for everyone.

Naruto continued on. "The shadow man successfully convinced the prisoner that he was doing the right thing by keeping him in there. Years later, when he was finally freed from his shackles, he remained in his position… too afraid to leave the sanctuary of his cave for fear of the creatures lurking on the outside world, unaware that they were just regular people. You Kage, are the 'shadow's' to your villages. You keep your people in ignorance with your words. I mean, it's even written in your names."

The Mizukage was the one to respond. "You're wrong." He said. "If what you are saying is true, then what are we 'protecting' them from? Monsters like you?" he asked

Naruto smiled beneath his mask. "Oh, I'm not a monster… I'm just ahead of the curve." _*wink*_ Naruto cocked his head in amusement. "Chaos Mizukage. You lot are 'protecting' them from the joys and the serenity of chaos." He said, letting that ring in the air. "You instill order because it is a belief of yours that was inculcated by your own predecessors that chaos is bad. In this theory, it's a little paradoxical how you are both prisoners and the oppressors."

"It is bad." Minato said speaking up again. "Since you enjoy explaining things so much, allow me to teach you something." Naruto nodded his head that way gesturing for him to continue. "If you are speaking of chaos in terms of war… then you truly have no idea what you're talking about… War is a time period in which you must do anything you are forced to do for the sake of your home… It is bad…"

Naruto didn't say anything for a few seconds. He just examined the blonde man, judging his resolve. "War…" he began. "-is nothing more than the manifestation of a struggle for order. It is a manmade catastrophe that would be imprudent to blame on something other than ourselves." He said infuriating the older attendants who've seen it before. "Is it really all that bad? Being able to cut loose and become the killers we were meant to be?" he said mocking their hatred of the subject.

"We were not made to be killers…" The Kazekage said, a little ticked off by that statement. "No one is made to be a killer."

Naruto sighed. "Huh, wrong again." He said rolling his neck out as if it were just completely exhausting talking to them. "We were all meant to be killers, and I don't just mean Shinobi… I mean all of the human race. That's why we were given the ability _to_ kill… Think about it like this, a Kunai was made for the purpose of killing and.. it does it well." He nodded vigorously as if to say he knew that all too well. "It was not made to be toilet paper so it cannot function as such. Human beings were created to kill, it is how we survive in this world, it's why we were given such intelligence to advance our tactics, it's why war was invented. We were all made to kill, but modern society tells us it's bad so at a young age we are taught that taking the life of another is wrong. This lesson is drilled into us so vigorously that once we are forced to do so, the action itself is sickening… then, you do it again and that guilt remains… a few more times and it starts become routine… until finally, you've become who you were meant to be… and you get shamed for it."

"That sounds like the making of a fucking psycho to me." The Tsuchikage chided in.

Naruto just shrugged. "If that's how you see it. But, by that logic, every shinobi that has ever taken the life of an enemy with no remorse is as psychotic as you claim. In this world of ours, there is no innocent power. Strength for us is based on our ability to take the life of another and yet you all have the audacity to stand here and claim we weren't created for such a thing… If you weren't all so crazy, I'd think you were insane." _*wink*_ He said holding his hand up to his mouth as if he were whispering something.

The Tsuchikage's lone guest, who had been quiet up to this point, finally lost his temper. "You shut your mouth! You don't know what it's like!" he yelled out in anger. Being an older man, it was fair to assume he was around during the time of the previous war.

Naruto looked to him. "Oh, I know what it's like. Believe me, I understand." He said.

"No you don't." Minato quipped with a knowing tone. Naruto looked back to him. "No, I know for a _fact_ that you don't." he said, raising his voice slightly to drive his point home.

Naruto grinned beneath his mask. "Is war not just a struggle between two sides to gain the upper hand, using every underhanded tactic imaginable?" Minato remained quiet, that was a pretty fair description. "War is much more than bloodshed and loss. If that's what you assumed it to be, then I assure you I've experienced that as well, in a much more grotesque manner than even you."

Minato shook his head. "You… you really don't understand."

Naruto chuckled. "Well then, Yondaime… what is war to you?"

Minato froze, noticing the stares he was receiving from the other older members of the villages. Everyone there knew of what a terror he was during the last war, but it was a different thing completely witnessing it yourself. "War is… war is complete and utter hell.. in every sense of the word… To be functional in a world of such true chaos… you've got to kill off pieces of yourself that make you human…"

Before he could continue, he heard a scoff from the one he was speaking to. Naruto noticed Minato's hesitation. "My apologies." He said bashfully. "I just found it outrageous that you actually view war as true chaos."

What was he saying? "Most people would view it as the truest meaning of the word." Minato disputed. Everyone watched the blonde woman get up from her seat and place the child she was holding into a carrier and set her down on the middle of the platform behind Naruto.

Naruto just shrugged. "Then most people would be wrong." He replied. "War is ordered chaos. Factions of methodical groups of soldiers facing off for the purpose of proving themselves. It's much more barbaric." He said as Ino plopped down next to him. "You see, true chaos is actually irrelevant to me... nonexistent in a sense."

At this statement, everyone looked at him strangely. This entire time he seemed to have been advocating for chaos, and now he was saying it didn't even exist?

"Paradoxical I know." He said putting their busy minds to rest. "Chaos is described as something that one could not possibly understand. Complete disorder and confusion. Problem is, when this comes to mind you all have a single image that you associate with the word." He said playing with the Kunai in his hands. "You picture a lawless world with people running around and killing anyone and everyone for their own motives or just no reason at all."

"Yeah, is that what you're trying to make the world become?" asked the Tsuchikage.

"Couldn't hurt." He replied. "The reason I do not believe chaos exists, is because to me, there is no confusion… You all would view a world such as that as some kind of hellish struggle of life and death, but there is much more to it than that." Every word he said was accented by the wind that was beginning to kick up and the apparent brewing storm. "While you see disorder… I see freedom… As you see illicitness, I see equality…"

"Looking at the world in a different way does not make it a better place if it's comes to what you are describing." The Kazekage argued with his ever present monotonous voice. "You are just blinding yourself from the horror of the crimes being committed."

"Ah." Naruto quipped up, he snapped his fingers and pointed in his direction. "There goes that famed hypocrisy." He replied with amusement. "You say this Kazekage, but you cast this same fate upon your people without their consent… In the world I speak of, they would be free to choose which side they wish to view."

"What of the people that would view it the way you claim we would?" The Mizukage asked. "The people who would view it as a hell and search for a better life?"

Naruto continued playing with his kunai. "Astute point Mizukage. But, there is something unique about chaos that sets it apart from its colleague." He said. "They share a lot of the same qualities and possess radical differences, but one thing that sticks out to me the most is that chaos.. is fair." _*wink*_

"And you believe Order is not?" the Raikage asked from his spot.

Naruto looked over to him. "Well of course not. You yourself are a testament to that Raikage." He said getting a strange look from him. "In fact most of you are." he clarified. "You all have this false belief that with a little hard work anyone with a strong enough will could climb their way up the ranks and make it to a position such as yours, yet you all neglect to see that your lives have all led you to your positions. You all held some sort of connection to your previous Kage whether it be student, child, grandchild, or just simply a blatant favorite in the case of you Mizukage."

"My position was earned fairly." Said the Raikage, receiving shouts of agreement from the other four.

Naruto nodded. "Oh, I'm sure." He said. "I am sure every other child your age had the privilege of training under the Sandaime Raikage… or the Sandaime Tsuchikage… or the Yondaime Hokage, point is, regardless of what you may believe, your position was achieved with the advantage of tutelage under a powerful shinobi. Most of the other children of your villages were probably pawned off on some ordinary Jonin who was at the least barely capable of teaching them the basics."

"There have been shinobi in the past who have achieved power without the tutelage of anyone… You would know about that, right?" Minato asked with the underlining implication that Naruto was one of these people.

"Actually, I wouldn't." Naruto replied. "If you are implying that I am self-made, then you are mistaken. Just because no one held my hand and walked me through the steps doesn't mean they didn't teach me."

"Ok, hold on." The Tsuchikage said. "What the fuck is it with you two?" she asked looking at Minato. "You've been sitting here talking to him like you know him or something! Who the fuck is he!? He's from Konoha isn't he!?" she yelled.

Minato ignored her. "If that's what this is about… please… you don't have to do all of this… just take your revenge and be done with it."

Naruto just stared at him. "You give yourself too much credit Yondaime." He said standing up and throwing the kunai over his shoulder. It landed right next to Sumire's carrier, a paper bomb attached to the ring. "I hold no anger towards you specifically. Or your wife… my goal is much more interesting than petty revenge. It's not that kind of story."

"We gonna start hun!?" Ino quipped hopping to her feet as well.

She looped Naruto's arm and followed him as they walked back to their thrones. "Yes, yes we are." When they sat down, Naruto surveyed the group of Shinobi. "Ok let's see… Why don't you pick doll face?"

Ino sat up happily. "Oh, ok! I piiiick… Iwa!... aaaand Suna!" she said happily. Naruto nodded, appraising her selection.

"Very well." He said. He went through hand signs and in a flash that Menma and Minato knew all too well, the Kazekage and Iwa's lone Jonin appeared in the arena.

The Tsuchikage ran forward and put her hands on the barrier. "Hey… Hey! What the hell are you doing! He's no match for a Kage!" she yelled. "Akatsuchi!"

The Kazekage was looking at the man in question. It was a very hefty looking man with a big nose. He then turned and looked up to the masked man. "What is the purpose of this?"

Naruto shrugged. "I just want to see what happens." He replied portentously. "Don't wait on me. Start whenever you wish."

Nobody moved a muscle. "I have no quarrel with this man." The Kazekage said with his arms crossed. He refused to fight a man who had done him no harm.

"Of course you do." Naruto said. "This man here is keeping you from retrieving your prize." He said pointing over to the Kazekage's nephew. Everyone grew alarmed seeing that the explosive tag was burning.

"Wait!" The Kazekage yelled raising his hand up to him. "WAIT! I'll fight!" he yelled trying to get the man to stop the burning of the seal.

Naruto shrugged. "Oh I'm sure you will." He said casually. "That seal is a slow burning tag, it will blow in two minutes unless I stop it. Sadly to say, as long as this man is still breathing, I will not do so." Everyone grew horrified at the implication. The Kazekage's eyes were burning with rage.

He was trying to weigh what would be the right thing to do. From the deathly stare he was getting from the Tsuchikage, he just knew there would be hell to pay for this. "Gaara!" yelled Kankuro. "Gaara! Please!"

He looked across at the man who now held a shaky Kunai in his hand. "I-…" he looked back up to Kankuro and then over to the worried look on the Tsuchikage's face.

"Wow, a minute wasted." Naruto said staring at the half burned tag.

Gaara looked back over to his begrudging opponent and the sand from his gourd busted out of the top. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered lowly sending wave after wave towards the man who did his best to dodge the flood of sand. Losing his footing, he fell to his back and was engulfed completely. Gaara tried hard to kill the man, but for some reason he couldn't crush him.

Suddenly a hand of stone burst from the sand. "Thirty seconds Kazekage." Naruto said. Gaara grit his teeth and shut his eyes. Suddenly, his sand took on a much more demonic look with cracks covering its surface. His right eye turned black with a golden iris. With the help of the Shukaku, he was finally able to crush the man with ease.

"No!" yelled the Tsuchikage beating the barrier with all she had. "Fuck!" she bellowed out as she dropped to the ground. Gaara felt remorse for his action, but relief seeing that the tag stopped its burning. A flash of light blinded him and he was back next to Kankuro.

Everyone remained silent, staring at the mutilated body of the Iwa shinobi. Naruto eyed the Tsuchikage whose eyes were on the ground beneath her. He was waiting for the outburst and sure enough he received it. She hit the barrier with all the strength she could muster. "Let me out of here! I'll fucking kill you!" she yelled. "I swear on everything! I will fucking kill you!" she yelled, whether the threat was for Naruto or the Kazekage, no one knew.

Naruto was not fazed by her worthless threats, he simply shrugged it off. A hand popped out of the ground within the arena and dragged Akatsuchi's body down. "Well, revenge seems to be on your mind." He said going through hand signs. The Tsuchikage appeared in the arena, staring over to her opponent.

"Shit." Kankuro whispered softly to himself.

"No!" The Kazekage yelled seeing the danger. "Wait!"

Naruto just stared out wondering what the Tsuchikage would do. Her hate filled eyes pierced into the Kazekage's worried gaze. "When can I start?" she asked suddenly.

Naruto shrugged. "This ones on you… if you don't want to do it, you may return to your barrier." He informed her.

Kankuro released the breath he didn't know he was holding. His heart skipped a beat when a rock spear popped out of the ground and nearly punctured his chest. He jumped back just in time to avoid it. "Hey! What the hell!?" he yelled out to her, pulling his favorite puppet from his back.

The Tsuchikage went through hand signs and spit out some kind of strange lime concoction that covered Kankuro's prized puppet. The slime also covered his feet, holding him in place.

"Hey! Wait!" he yelled out throwing his hands up.

"Tsuchikage! Please!" the Kazekage yelled out, begging for his brother's life. "He has a family… please don't…"

The Tsuchikage stared at Kankuro's trembling body intently. Slowly, a rock spike rose from the ground next to her and she snapped it off. "…So did Akatsuchi." With no mercy, she threw the spike forward, impaling the helpless man. It tore through his head with ease, splitting his skull in two. Silence rang through the area with everyone's eyes on either the dead body or the ghastly look on the Kazekage's face.

"Let me out…" The Kazekage said lowly, trying to draw on the powers of Shukaku. Naruto just stared at him. He knew at this point there was a blatant hatred resting between the two. It was an inevitability. "I said, let me out." He repeated with a disgusted look on his face.

"In time Kazekage." He said looking back to the Tsuchikage. "The Tsuchikage hasn't truly played yet." He said going through hand signs. In a flash of light, Kakashi appeared in the arena.

"h-Hey! No!" Menma yelled out until Minato put his hand on his shoulder.

"Menma, he'll be fine." He said.

Naruto stared at Kakashi, knowing full well what was to happen. "Now." He said, looking towards the Tsuchikage. "Your revenge is out of the way. You fight for the survival of your prize." A muffled cry of desperation left the gaged mouth of Makatsuchi seeing her tag lit aflame. "Your time begins, Kurotsuchi." He said using her real name.

Without hesitation, she chunked spikes of rocks at the Sharingan wielder. Kakashi jumped to the side, kicking off the barrier to avoid the next barrage. When he landed, he leaned back avoiding the next strike. Quickly, he jumped up, dodging the slime she used against Kankuro. Figuring the only way to survive was to fight back, he rushed her with a kunai in hand.

Kurotsuchi pulled one of her own and clashed with him. She began slashing at him like a woman possessed and Kakashi was able to avoid all of them thanks to his Sharingan. Feeling desperate, she yelled out in anger. "Argh!" Kakashi got her off balance and kicked her away. He slipped in between the two spikes she shot out at him. Immediately, he had to dodge another that shot out of the ground. Going through hand signs, he slammed his hands on the ground and a wall of mud shot up in front of him, blocking the slime.

He jumped away before the spike that jutted from the wall pierced his neck. Losing his footing, he rolled back and scrambled away from the airborne Kage coming down on him with another spike in her hand. To the horror of the Konoha individuals she drove it straight through his chest. Naruto chuckled seeing the clone burst into a cloud of smoke and the real Kakashi pop out of the ground delivering a round house kick to the Tsuchikage's face, sending her into the side of the barrier.

"One minute." Naruto informed the frustrated woman. She growled again and went through hand signs, puffing her chest full, she spit out big balls of lava that Kakashi had difficulty dodging. Jumping up, he was caught vulnerable in mid-air. She spit a ball of lava at his unprotected form. Thinking quickly, Kakashi packed his left eye with chakra and opened it, displaying his Mangekyo Sharingan. The ball of liquid flames was sucked into a portal in thin air.

When he hit the ground, he covered his eye and nearly fell over from the backlash of using that technique, quickly he had to roll forward to avoid the spikes shooting out of the ground. He was cut alongside the back of his calf in his escape, inciting a yelp of pain.

"Ten seconds." Naruto said, upping the adrenaline factor once more.

The Tsuchikage's panicked look stared up into the eyes of her best friend in desperation. Like a child begging for something, she squealed out a hollow, "Please!" that was either directed at Naruto or Kakashi. She threw everything she had at the silver haired man who dodged each attack as best he could. He was just too hard to hit within the confines of two minutes.

"Five, four, three, two…" An explosion rocked the area as the Kunai next to Makatsuchi shot off. A barrier shot up around her space, protecting the others on the ridge, but they all felt the violent tremor. None more so than Kurotsuchi who froze in horror and stared at the smoked out barrier that slowly cleared revealing nothing but bits of what used to be her friend.

Her face contorted into a look of true and undeniable pain. She hit her knees and covered her mouth to hide the silent scream that was stuck in the back of her mouth. "….Argh!" she yelled out in sorrow. "Maka…!" she hit the ground beneath her and the surrounding viewers could feel her sadness from a distance. Kakashi more so than anyone as he sat back, trying to catch his breath.

"It would seem that your prize has been eliminated. That means you have lost. If you so wish, you are free to go." He said preparing to send her back to the platform her barrier once stood. She shook her head causing him to stop to see what it was she would do.

With tears still streaming down her eye's she looked over to Kakashi with nothing but pure hatred. "Hey! No wait!" yelled Menma, being somewhat mimicked by Minato and Kushina seeing that she was going to kill him.

Kakashi scrambled back, in her last series of attacks she was able to mess his leg up more than just the cut to his calf. He grit his teeth seeing her charge towards him. He was completely helpless at this point. He put too much chakra into that Mangekyo technique and now he was left helpless. Naruto watched on in interest.

In her rage filled sprint towards the man that refused to die to save her friend, she pulled a spike from the ground. All she saw was red at this moment. In the span of an hour, she lost two of her closest people. She had long been sent over the edge and she just had to kill someone. She had to.

Bringing her hand down on the silver haired Jonin with a war cry, she was surprised when her wrist was caught by an unexpected man. It was the masked assailant responsible for all of this. He was here! Looking back up to his throne she noticed he was gone, so this was the real one! "I cannot allow you to kill a participant. You have failed your task so I give you two options. Either leave or die…"

She grit her teeth so hard they ached within her mouth. Seeing this as her chance, she drew a Kunai from her pouch and swiped at him. In other words, she just agreed to die. Naruto hit her in the throat before her arm even came in range, then with absolutely no mercy, he kicked her back, impaling her on a spike that she herself had made. Kurotsuchi gasped at the rock sticking out of her chest and she brought a shaking hand up to grab at it. She could feel her body slowly descending further down the earthen spike and every second of it hurt.

Naruto walked up to her and grabbed her by her hair. "You've done well Tsuchikage. Your people would be proud." He said. "Well, what's left of them." With that said, he snapped her neck with no mercy.

Now, the others finally witnessed what it was they were dealing with. This man just defeated a Kage with such ease. Some of them just wrote it off as her being too emotionally distraught to fight properly, but Menma knew. He knew now more so than ever. Kakashi as well, but as for Minato. Who knew what was going through his mind.

"I apologize for this minor hiccup." Naruto said turning around to Kakashi going through his hand signs. Kakashi appeared back in the barrier with the others. "It was of course expected as human emotions are a delicate thing." He went through hand signs again and the area inside of the barrier returned to normal as if no battle had even taken place. "Now that such a hiccup is out of the way, let's continue." He said flashing back up to his thrown.

"Hokage." Darui called out eyeing Naruto suspiciously. "There is no longer any denying it. You know this man."

Menma looked at him in worry, it was an inevitability though. He refused to speak on it. Thankfully, or unluckily, he didn't have to.

"I know who this is." Said a voice that had not yet been heard. One of the members of the Mizukage's group stepped forward. He was a much older man with blue hair and an eye patch. "Years ago… during the rise of Konoha's popularity due to the growing fame of Itachi Uchiha… there was another name that arose throughout the nation as well… The Second flash…" His statement hung in the air and everyone had their gazes split between the two Hokage and their masked oppressor. "… Is that you?"

Naruto chuckled beneath his mask. "Heh, I'm a bit flattered. I didn't think that little title stuck enough for people to remember it." He said with a shrug.

"He is from Konoha…" The Kazekage said, drawing everyone's attention to Menma who was staring at the furious redhead. "He is a shinobi of yours… and he has caused all of this…" His hands were clinched so tightly on his sides.

Menma had to say something. "…Kazekage… I am… I'm sorry."

"Who… who is he…" he asked lowly, he couldn't even bring himself to lift his gaze. That's where Menma froze. He couldn't spit it out, even if he tried. "Who… is he…" he replied finally staring the blonde in the eyes. Menma's gaze did not shy away, he just shook his head.

With a chuckle, Naruto decided to instigate the situation. "Heh, oh come on Otouto. Don't be ashamed of me now." He said shocking the whole group. Everyone was staring at the Konoha group at this point. This was their family member? "What? You didn't think just anyone could learn the Yondaime's most prized possession did you?" he asked rhetorically.

Finally, the red headed woman that had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal finally stepped forward. "…Naruto…" she called out softly. Tears were already brimming in her eyes. Her heart had been broken one too many times by the man in front of her. Most of it was self-inflicted shots of pain, but this was on a whole new scale. This… this monster couldn't be her son. "Naruto… what is this for?"

"Ah, Kaa-san." Naruto said somewhat softer than he had been all day. "Being an Uzumaki definitely has its benefits huh?" he asked completely disregarding her question. "You haven't aged a day."

Even now he was… "Naruto… please stop this…"

He stared at her for a few seconds before standing up. He turned to look out towards the sea. The day was absolutely beautiful to him. It was a cloudy day with slivers of sunlight shining through the cracks in the clouds, causing streams of light to shoot down on the water. There was a feint clap of thunder that made its presence known every few seconds and brief sparks of lightening that didn't break the clouds. "It is a beautiful day… isn't it Kaa-san?" he said, completely disregarding the others for the moment. "It would seem that my hair color isn't the only thing I inexplicably acquired over the years that I share with you." He said with a chuckle running his hand through his blood-red hair.

Kushina didn't know what to say. Everyone else was at a bit of a loss of words as well. He seemed to be acting somewhat civil with her as opposed to his cryptic badgering of everyone else. He seemed, in a way, much more gentle.

"I guess that goes to show that I was right." He said strolling back to his seat. He sat down and took Ino's hand. "Tou-san and I are more alike than I had imagined. Just as he put his books down for you, I put mine down as well." He said looking at Ino. "Well, sort of."

Ino slid her mask off her face. "Awe, babe." She cooed as she slithered over her throne and into his lap.

Naruto chuckled. "What a pair of beautiful young ladies we have on our hands Tou-san." He said as Ino snuggled into the side of his neck. "Menma as well. I guess we've just got a thing for powerful women." He said with yet another chuckle.

"Please… Naru-kun…" Kushina said as she shook her head. She couldn't understand what this was. Why he was doing what he was doing. None of it made sense. He was mentally assaulting her with compliments? After everything he's said he still had the nerve to speak to them like everything was just completely normal. "Please stop this." She said again, desperation pouring from her tone.

Naruto just stopped altogether. He just stared at her in wonder. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, he went back to normal. "I can't do that Kaa-san. You know I'll die if I do." He said casually. "I'll die if I don't as well, but since I've already begun, I may as well have it mean something."

Her pleading face continued to stare at him in confusion. "Wh-… why are you doing this? Please, just… just tell me why." She begged.

Naruto sighed and looked up to the sky in thought. He was trying to weigh his options right now. "Kaa-san… I am doing this, because I want this all to end… I want someone to create a world… better than this." He explained. "In order for that to happen, it has to destroy itself."

Kushina was confused along with everyone else. Before she could speak up, the Raikage butt in. "If it destroys itself, there will be nothing left for creation."

Naruto just shook his head. "No Raikage, actually that's wrong." He said tilting his head, shamelessly Ino was kissing his neck aggressively as if she were trying to tally up how many hickey's she could give him. "You see, creation and destruction go hand in hand. Think about how a man would cut down a tree to build a home, or a group of men would cut down a forest to build a village, it's all a cycle of destroy to create again. Erase a man's mind and he's a new person. Erase the world and it has a second chance at life. Regardless of what you believe, this world is doomed to fail."

"The world is not doomed." Said the Mizukage with a bit of an edge to his tone. "For sick people like you, it is doomed because it doesn't allow you to control it." He argued.

"For sick people… like me…" he said slowly, examining those words. "Hmm, ironic how wrong you are." he said carelessly. "I mean, if you think about it, there is more wrong with a man who resigns to being like everybody else… It's truly disturbing how each one of you are currently fighting for the right to walk around like dead fish floating down a stream rather than being an individual… Synchronization and normality have become the new social norm, but if you were to go back years ago during the days of the clan wars, they would have laughed at such a thing." He said. "That's the real issue. I mean, you laugh at me… because I'm different… but I laugh at you because you're all the same." _*wink*_

"Your theories are derived from a psychotic mind and they will only make sense to you and that dumb bitch on your neck." Came the smooth feminine voice of the wife of the Raikage who hadn't said much yet up to this point.

Ino's head popped up instantly and she stared at Naruto who just threw his hands up in an 'I don't know' kind of pose. Ino quietly got off his lap and began walking towards the edge. It looked like she was going to step off, but right as she took that last step, there was a flash and she appeared inside the arena. Simultaneously Samui appeared in there as well. She was much more alert now though seeing the intense look in the blonde's eyes briefly before she slipped her mask back on.

"Well." Naruto said. "This should be interesting."

 **AN: There we go. I rather enjoyed writing this one. I went free with the theories I know and some of them are sort of clashing ideals, but I feel that this is sort of what the Joker represents. Chaos in every single form imaginable. Well, stick around for the next chapter. We are coming to an end.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Welcome back readers, tons of new comers and I thank you all for reading. We are sadly nearing the end, but if you enjoy my writing, I do have a new story in the works. Yeah, in the works, meaning that I am prewriting it. This one was an unplanned pile of something but I think it came out alright. Had it been prepped, it could have been way better, but it was a write as I go deal that just happened to be passable. But yeah, if you enjoyed favorite me to see what I can do when I actually plan a story out. I won't tell you what it's about, but I can say it happens post-fourth Shinobi war and that it's much more canon driven than this one. Well… kind of… Anyways! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 14**

Rushing forward, two swords held in reverse grip, Ino jumped over the short haired blond woman who swung her own blade at her. Landing in a crouch, she jumped back avoiding the next slash. Kicking off the wall, she rocketed towards her swiping her sword out the way and delivering a kick to her chest sending her rolling back. She waited for a few seconds allowing her to get up. How dare she disrespect her in front of her love! She would pay in the worst way imaginable. They have been at it for a few good minutes already and she had to admit she was kind of strong.

Samui finally struggled back to her feet and stared across at this psychotic blonde. Her movements were completely unpredictable. Whatever her Kenjutsu style was, she had never seen anything like it. It was incredibly flexible and unnaturally quick.

"Ok ladies." Naruto said, drawing everyone's attention. "This little spout is taking longer than expected. You're the boy's mother, so what the hell." He shrugged. "Fight for your son. Actually, let's switch things up. You stay alive and so does your son. Doll?" he said getting Ino's attention. "Try and kill her."

Samui glanced over quickly to see her subdued child's tag lit aflame and wasted no time in rushing back into the fight. The Raikage placed his hand onto the hilt of his blade ready to just bust through the barrier with force. Bee put his hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He has been extremely serious as opposed to his usual idiotic behavior. "No Bro. Let Samui handle it yo." He said eyeing the masked man on the other side. The Raikage silently grit his teeth but released his sword none the less.

Swinging her blade with unrivalled intensity Samui was going for the kill as the best way to keep from getting killed yourself was to put your opponent on the defense. She refused to lose to this blonde bimbo. Ino kicked her wrist away before her sword came within range. Attacking with both of her blades, Samui took the defensive and began backing away. Ino continued her volley of slashes not letting up in the slightest.

Feeling her time was running very thin, Samui planted her feet and kicked the blonde away from her. While she stumbled back, she drove her sword in the ground and went through hand signs. Pointing her fingers, the tips lit up in a very bright white light and shot off towards the blond who had just recovered. Ino jumped away from the bullets of white that tore through the ground beneath her with ease. She had to keep moving as the blasts continued to shoot towards her. Each one coming closer and closer. Thinking quickly, Ino drew an explosive Kunai and threw it towards the next bullet headed towards her.

Samui paused for a second with her vision clouded by the smoke. Then, when Ino jumped away from the cloud of smog, she continued her firing. With an accurate shot that was sent on a straight path to the masked girl's chest, Samui was kicked into the side of the barrier by the real one. Getting to her feet quickly she rushed her again. Throwing a punch, she was infuriated by the woman's unnatural flexibility as she swiveled out of the way of each attack.

"One minute." Naruto called out. Samui furrowed her brow and continued on, doing her best to dodge the blonde's unorthodox attacks. Eventually the two of them found their blades back in their hands and they danced in a shower sparks and slashes. Samui was getting completely demolished as Ino parried all of her attacks with one blade and delivered small seemingly insignificant slashes with the other. Slowly however, she noticed her body was refusing to do what she wanted it to. She was simultaneously using the hilt of her blades to hit her pressure points! Creating an opening Ino made a deep cut on the back of Samui's calf, dropping her to the ground. She realized the masked girl's tactic too late and her body wouldn't move.

The Raikage and Bee watched in shock as she brought her sword up for the finishing blow. Just as he put his hand on the hilt of his blade, Naruto called out. "Time." Ino's blade lingered right at the neck of the woman.

"Babe." She whined as if begging him to let her kill her. Samui was left helpless, her arms and legs riddled with tiny cuts and bruises that seemed insignificant at first glance when in truth, were a lot more effective than anyone thought. She couldn't even lift her fingers. She was completely humiliated with a blade pointing at her neck.

"Now-now, Ino." Naruto replied with a gentle tone. "You had two minutes just like everyone else." He said nodding his head towards her. Ino huffed and flicked the small amounts of blood off of her blades. In a flash of light she was back in her throne with her arms and legs crossed, clearly not happy about the whole ordeal.

Samui breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up to her son who was crying for her. Darui and Bee had also calmed down as well seeing everything would be fine. "Hey. You gonna send her back? She's injured." The Raikage said, not liking that she was still down there.

Naruto looked at her immobile form and began looking around at everyone. Ino could tell he was having an idea. When he stared over at the Mizukage's party, something in his mind clicked. He looked over to their prize, his wife. Then he looked back over to Samui who physically could not move.

"Did you hear me? She's hurt." The Raikage said again. He noticed how the man's head looked around at everyone, ignoring him completely.

Ino was trying to follow Naruto's head movements. "Whatcha thinking babe?" she asked.

Naruto stood to his feet and began casually pacing behind the prizes. The direction of his mask never giving away the direction he was looking or what kind of sick action he was planning next. "Actually… I think this is a perfect opportunity to prove a point." He said strolling towards the right side of the platform. He stopped directly behind the last person on the prize slot. A woman with short brown hair, hunched over on her knees, trying to avoid his detection.

Naruto stared at the Mizukage from this distance. The blue haired man did not shy away from his gaze in part because he couldn't see it. A sickening feeling arose in the pit of his stomach, figuring it was their turn. All he had to do was follow the man's rules. If he had to kill someone, then he would do so without a shred of hesitation. He had to…

"Mizukage… Your fiancé here… Ms. Aya Koroyo?" he asked him rhetorically, already knowing the answer. The Mizukage just glared at him dangerously. "She has… **never** been a shinobi correct?" he asked. Once again he received no reply, as expected. "Well, she hasn't." he said cutting the rope tying her hands together and ripping the chain from around her neck. He grabbed her by her arm and pulled her to a standing position, ignoring her muffled pleas for her life.

"Hey!" the Kage in question yelled as he stepped up to the side of the barrier. He put his hands on it and leaned forward as if he were trying to get a better view. "Don't hurt her!" he yelled out frantically. Naruto ignored him and walked forward a bit.

Ignoring him for the time being, he spoke to the other remaining members, namely Gaara. "Now, you claim we aren't all monsters… I say.. we are." he grabbed her by the throat and held her over the side of the cliff to the horror of the Kiri group and his family. Her hands wrapped around his wrist and her bulging brown eyes stared into his eye holes, pleading desperately.

"Naruto! Wait, no!" yelled Minato putting his hands out as if telling him to calm down.

Naruto ignored all of the outraged cries of protest and continued on. Now, his mask was looking towards the woman in his hand. He spoke as if he were talking to her. "When your way of life or your life itself is threatened… you will do absolutely anything to maintain it." He said holding the kicking woman up with absolute ease. "It's the law of human nature. If it's an action with an immediately positive outcome, even if there is another way, we will take it if that other way isn't a sure thing."

"Please!" The Mizukage yelled hitting the barrier with his giant sword. "I'll do whatever you want!" he said, his eyes darting into the middle platform seeing that Samui was still there. "You want me to kill her!? I'll do it! Just, please!" That proclamation garnered a daring look from the Raikage's party of course, but he didn't even spare them a glance.

Naruto looked over to the blue haired man at that. He just eyed him lazily. "…Tempting." He said. "But, no." Just like that, he unclenched his hand and Aya fell.

Outrageous gasps and a hell curling scream from the Mizukage himself filled the air. He packed his sword with chakra and hit it as hard as he could with a war cry. Before he hit it again, his attention was drawn to the middle barrier where Aya landed unceremoniously in a flash of light, her eye's nearly popping out of her head and her tears returning full force. She landed on her back and ungracefully rolled over to get to her knees.

In another flash of light, a Kunai appeared directly in front of her. "I want her to do it." Naruto finished looking down to the fearful civilian woman.

The Raikage and the Mizukage shouted out in protest. Screaming their own words of hatred filled threats at the redhead. Naruto casually walked back to his throne and sat down. His gaze landing directly across from him, into the unreadable expression on his brother's face.

"For your freedom Aya." He called out, still looking into the eyes of Menma. "Kill this woman and you… and your party are free to walk away." He said surprising everyone. Aya's eyes were on the blade in front of her, tears streaming from her eyes uncontrollably. "You choose not to kill her, and you and your party remain for the duration of the game in which your husband will eventually have to fight for you." He said.

The first thought that ran through her mind was of course she wouldn't do it. She would just wait for Chojuro to save her. But… then she thought about the Tsuchikage's violent end. The man she brought with her died at the hands of another Kage. Her eyes traveled up to their platform. What if Ao or Haki were chosen to face off against the Raikage or the Hokage? They wouldn't stand a chance… by choosing to stay, she'd be choosing for them to die instead even though it wasn't a guarantee Chojuro would save her or not…

She looked back down to the Kunai and then up into the eyes of the immobile woman in front of her. Her heart and brain were tearing themselves apart, both making sound arguments for each scenario. She cried out hysterically, she didn't know what to do.

"A 'monstrous' action for certain freedom?" Naruto called out blandly. "Or… a 'righteous' action for an unassured chance at life?" he asked her ominously, further distorting her will. The constant screaming of those around her was feeding her anxiety as well.

The look in the woman's eyes was eating her soul, even from the considerable distance. She hadn't said anything, she just stared back at her, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. Aya reached forward with a very shaky hand and grabbed the kunai. Holding it up, she stared at the very tip of it and looked back to the blonde woman. Standing to her feet, she slowly walked forward until she was right in front of Samui.

She dropped to her knees and stared at her, trying to steady her resolve. She had to do it. This man was a complete Psycho. As soon as she refused, he would do something worse to them, she knew it. He spoke as if he knew she would end up killing this girl. He was trying to prove a point to everyone here and if she refused to feed in and made him wrong, there's no telling what he'd do.

"Don't do it!" yelled The Raikage, pushing against the glass in frustration. "Don't you fucking do it!" he looked across the way at his son who was witnessing the whole thing. "Don't look son! Look away!" he pleaded. Bee was quiet behind him, watching the whole thing play out. It broke his heart, but he kept his composure, knowing nothing they did would change the outcome.

The Mizukage's shouts were of course telling her to do it. If it was a sure way to save her life, he needed her to do it. Every now and then, he looked back to the masked man and cursed him for making his soon to be wife do something of this magnitude, but if it was a way out, he needed her to do it. "Aya-chan… just do it! Please, just do it… it'll be over quick!"

In their contradicting pleas to the woman, they locked eyes with each other a couple of times, shouting out curse words and hate filled remarks before immediately going back to yelling their threats/encouragements at the weak-minded woman. The Konoha bunch tried calming the two down before things got out of hand, but their words were consistently overshadowed by the two adrenaline fueled men screaming their heads off.

Aya peered into Samui's eyes. She had never killed anyone before. Could she even do this? This woman had a husband who was watching and threatening what would happen if she did… a child who was watching… How could she take her life like this? Before she realized it, the sounds around her drowned out completely and she was left alone with her thoughts once again. Her eyes were on the Kunai in her hands. Hands that wouldn't stop shaking. They just… they wouldn't stop. Tears were hitting her wrists as she tried to ration with herself and convince herself this was the right thing to do.

Naruto sighed and looked out towards the sea. From the positioning of the beams of light, he could guess it was possibly a little past noon. The uproar of voices all mangling together was giving him a headache. "Aya, you do not have all day. You either do it, or miss the opportunity." He said loud enough for her to hear him over all the commotion.

She clinched her eyes shut and opened them back up to look at the Kunai in her hands. She steadied her heart, and drowned the sounds of the others screaming at her out. With a heavy heart, and shaking hands, she brought the blade up over her head which simultaneously threw fuel on the fire, upping the intensity of the screaming happening around her. With her eyes shut and an unintentional scream of frustration, she drove the kunai down.

Metal met flesh and bone and she could hear and feel the blood gushing out from the chest of this woman in front of her. She couldn't take it anymore. She pulled the blade out and drove it down again… and again, and again. The area was quiet. Stunned in silence at the brutality of the scene. The only sounds remaining were the grunts of effort and frustration from Aya, the squishing of her hands and the blade plunging in and out of Samui's bleeding chest, and the muffled crying of the child who was watching his mother getting butchered to death by a woman that had cared for him in his brief time of captivity.

The Raikage hit his knees… no expression on his face describable in any real terms. His hands rested on his lap and he watched on as the woman stabbed Samui over and over again. The Mizukage was watching just as silently. He watched his fiancé's mind tear itself to shreds with every stab. She would never be the same. This was something he had never imagined seeing in his life time. Something he'd never wish to see.

Sorrow and remorse filled his heart for the man on the opposite side of the formations. They didn't deserve this. They were all victims in this. He was glad his wife was safe, but the action she had to take to do so was horrendous. He set his heart to rest just rationalizing with himself that being put in the same situation, he would have expected his wife to do the same. He prayed he understood that.

Aya had finally stopped her violent stabbing of the already deceased woman and she threw the Kunai away from her. She bent down and cried out continuous streams of apologies for the dead woman before her. She had to do it. She had to. That's what she told herself over and over again. In her hunched over state, she threw up whatever was left in her stomach from the last time she ate. Tears and pleas for forgiveness rushed out along with it.

Naruto watched the whole scene play out before him. His eyes were on the expressions of his family. They watched the sight with unbelieving gazes just like everyone else. It seemed like this was just too much of a revelation. The redheaded Kazekage watched on in contained shock as well. None of them could grasp the concept of the actions just taken.

"' _Animal_ '.. is a derogatory word that inaccurately describes what we are." he said suddenly, drawing the attention back to him. "When someone is cruel, we are all so quick to call them an 'animal', yet when you truly nitpick it, humans are the only animals capable of such atrocities… so in other words…" he said looking down to the two women in the barrier. "Aya… you're a human… and you're also free to go." He said, letting the barrier fall.

The Mizukage's barrier fell as well, freeing him and his two chosen attendants. He didn't waste any time in jumping down to his fiancé. He wrapped her up in a hug, hiding her eyes from the horrendous sight of the mutilated blonde before them. He scrunched his nose up at the stench and looked up to the masked man.

Naruto could see the anger in his eyes. "If you wish to end up like the Tsuchikage, you are free to attack me as you please." He said ominously. "Your prize has won her own freedom. Take this opportunity to leave while you can…"

The Mizukage glared up at him, and for a second, the others thought he was going to attack him. He picked his fiancé up in a bridal carry while still eyeing the masked assailant. "…If they don't kill you when this is all over… I swear I'll find you." He said with pure hatred resting behind his eyes.

Showing no fear, Naruto nodded his head sharply, still unfazed by the meaningless threat.

With his piece said, the Mizukage turned to leave, stopping as he caught the eye of the Raikage who was staring right back at him. "…Had it been your wife… you'd have expected her to do the same." He said, to try and get him to understand.

The Raikage just stared at him for a second. A look of disgust crossing his face. "Sadly for you… it wasn't my wife."

The threat taken and understood completely, the Mizukage nodded his head and began walking away. He and his men jumped off of the cliff before the middle barrier shot back up, leaving just three more groups. A clone dragged Samui's body down and cleaned the area for the next event which was still undecided.

Naruto looked at them all, as if he were thinking about what he was to do now. "Let's see…" he said quietly, tapping his hands on his armrests trying to think of something. "Well, I'm not too interested in fighting any more than one Biju." He said going through hand signs.

In a flash of light, the Kazekage and Bee appeared on either side of the arena, both of them stock silent, not looking to play any games. The anger was just bubbling around them… literally, when they hit the arena, red chakra began bubbling around them.

"Well Kazekage, for a man who advocates against the monstrosity of mankind, you know a lot about what that's like." He said eyeing him. The Kazekage didn't respond to his pointless words. Instead, his gourd began falling apart before it produced a tail made of sand. The sand began covering most of his form until the top half of his body represented a much smaller version of the Shukaku.

Bee's form remained the same other than the red silhouette of the Hachibi surrounding his body. His eyes couldn't be seen behind his glasses and his facial expression didn't seem to give much away, but from studying up on the guy, Naruto could tell he was far beyond angry himself. Figuring this was sure to be a good match Naruto just sat back and snuggled into his seat. "Oh, and if you haven't noticed, this seal won't allow you to fully transform, for obvious reasons." He said with a shrug. "No stakes in this one. You two just seem angry enough to rip anything to shreds so, have at it." He said.

Needing nothing more, Bee rushed forward with his arm held out. The inside of his elbow met the throat of the sand creature, and contrary to what he expected, he began sinking in. He spun around and ripped the appendage from the sand and kicked him away. The Kazekage hit the wall of the barrier with the sand cushioning his blow. With no hesitation he got up and rushed the Kumo jinchuriki. Throwing his arm forward, the sand extended and missed the slippery man by an inch.

In her throne, Ino yawned drawing Naruto's attention. "This is kinda boring hun." She said honestly. "I'm gonna take a nap." Naruto raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, but shrugged his shoulders and went back to watching the battle.

The Kazekage was confused when Bee rolled to his feet now holding every sword that was on his form at once. There was one tucked in the wedges of each of his coiled arms, one in his mouth, one held by the back of his knee, one in the crook of his neck, and one in the crevasse between his thigh and stomach, he doubted they could be used as such.

Expertly, bee jumped through the air, missing the tendril of sand that shot at him. He threw two of his swords down in hopes of impaling the man inside. He couldn't hurt sand, but if he could get to the Kazekage inside, he could kill him and the Shukaku would die as well and wait to reform elsewhere. When he landed, he rolled forward and picked up the two swords he threw. Continuing on, he dodged sand bullet after bullet. Rolling under the final one, he went in to try and shove his sword through.

As soon as it came within range, a plate of sand shot up from the ground blocking it before it even hit the main body. Bee loosened his grip and kicked the hilt of the blade on his way back. When he landed, he was standing on a thin strip of sand. When it shifted, he fell to his back. He looked up at the wave about to crash down on him.

The Kazekage clenched his sand formed hand down, directing the wave of golden substance to crush the man. Before it hit him, a tentacle appeared out of nowhere, blocking the man's body from the assault. Pulling the sand back, he saw that Bee now had two very big tentacles protruding from somewhere on his back. This meant he was proficient in partial transformations as well.

He ignored that revelation and sent out more waves of sand to try and cover him completely. Bee swiped the tendrils out of his way with the tentacles and rushed forward with the swords still on his form. Clearing a path to the core, he threw one of his blades at his head. Before it came in range again a sheet of sand popped up. He was thinking of a way around that armor of his. His control of sand meant he was an earth based Ninjutsu fighter. If he attacked with lightening, maybe he could wear him down some.

He rushed forward, charging his remaining five blades with lightning chakra and began attack the main creature directly, letting the tentacles keep him safe from the sand. He flipped and slashed at every conceivable angle of the beast, but nothing was getting through. Losing focus, he landed into a sinking pool of sand that began swallowing him whole. He scrambled up, trying to stick his tentacles to anything that would pull him up, but nothing would stick thanks to all the sand.

Darui was watching in horror, thinking this may be too much for even Bee. Seeing him sink into the unexplainable sink whole got him worried. Bee was resilient, but he had just a few hours ago watched a man with the protection of an armor of rock crushed by this very same man. His worries were relieved when he watched as the sand seemed to become much more mud-like than before.

Two of Bee's tentacles shot out from the muddied sink whole of sand and stuck to the barrier, sling shooting him out of the substance. He remained up high off of the ground with his tentacles sticking to the hard surface of the barrier. While up there, he got his idea.

It seemed that water was the obvious weakness which was good because it was an easy solution. Going through hand signs, he puffed his chest out and shot bullet after bullet of water towards the sand creature. Seeing the danger, the Kazekage used the sand he made from the ground to block the water, while simultaneously making more. He knew the man's plan was to drench all of his sand leaving him defenseless, but he could work with that.

He blocked each of the water bullets in order to protect the sand armor of the Shukaku surrounding his body. Bee kept them coming plentiful, increasing their size by pumping more and more chakra into each blast. He had to keep moving around the top of the barrier to avoid getting caught by the counterattacks being sent his way. He didn't know any area wide water techniques so these water bullets would have to do it for now. The Hachibi was explaining that the weakness of the Shukaku's containers when they were in this state was at the base of the tale. So that would have to be his striking point.

They continued in their battle of hit and counter hit for a few minutes until Bee noticed that there was nothing left for the Kage to use other than mud which was too slow and weak to actually be effective, so he swung forward and landed near the muddied creature with his swords drawn again. The mud was wrapping around his ankles trying to hold him in place, but he was just walking through it with ease. It was just like walking through regular mud.

The Kazekage played the role expertly swiping away as he scrambled back. He truly looked like a helpless victim. When Bee finally began rushing however, his stoic look returned. Bee circled him until he got behind him and targeted the vulnerable spot. He went in for the attack, but just when he drove his sword forward, a tendril of chakra shot up and caught his wrists, lifting him from the ground.

Bee struggled, trying to use his tentacles to swipe it away. As soon as he did, two skinnier tendrils of sand shot through the mud, cutting it off. He brought out another which met the same fate.

Darui's eyes grew in alarm, not even understanding how that could even happen. It was just sand! "Bee!" he yelled out seeing how helpless he seemed.

Bee was confused as well. This sand was just slicing his tentacles off. That wasn't possible unless that was some kind jutsu or… His eyes grew when the skinny tendrils that were slicing the tentacles rose in front of his face. There was a glimmer from the tips before they drove forward, one going straight through his head, and the other through his chest, the blades of his discarded swords popping out of the back of his head and chest… The swords he so carelessly let sink into the sand at the start of this little battle.

"No!" yelled the Raikage hitting the barrier with his sword. "No-no-no!" Twice today he has watched someone die. Bee, of all people, he was sure couldn't lose. He stared at the masked man who began clapping at the outcome of the battle. "You bastard! I'll fucking kill you!" he yelled hitting the barrier over and over again with his blade. Not even aware that his son was watching him lose his mind.

Naruto ignored the screams for his head from the usually level headed Kage. He was slowly clapping for the Kazekage who had let the mud fall of his form as he stared at the Kumo shinobi that fell before his feet. In a flash of light, he was back in his spot, staring at the ground. A clone once again struck the arena of the previous battle before sinking into the ground.

Naruto stared across the way at his fellow red head who was completely silent. "Well, I must say that was a very impressive display there Kazekage." He said looking over at his prize. "You're a very formidable man. As was the famous Killer Bee." He said nodding to the Raikage who was still cussing him out. "I'm trying to decide what to do with you, you've withstood each of my tasks and have done so with extreme grace… I'm not sure if that warrants enough respect to let you leave yet…" he said, negating the fact that he allowed the Mizukage to leave without ever having to do anything. "Have I been unfair with you?"

The Kazekage looked him in the eyes with pure hatred. He hated everything about him at this moment. Not that he was too fond of him before, but now he was sure he was going to kill him.

"I have… I have for a reason." He said sitting up. "None of you have noticed yet, the **true**.. reason I've done this." He said standing up. "I mean, it's not like you all haven't been in these positions before. It's just now you know what it's like to have it happen in real time." He said pacing around. "Out of all of you… who's gone?" he asked looking around as if he were confused. Everyone's gaze met the empty pillars of both Iwa and Kiri. "Ah, yes… Iwa… a nation built on the arrogance of their ancestors… Its sickening having such a nation running around isn't it? They are gone, because of their refusal to forgive… they lived on the cusp of revenge. In this experiment, their anger was directed towards Suna. Had she forgiven the actions of the Kazekage for doing what he did when he had no choice, she would have returned to her spot to fight another day and probably would've received an opponent she could actually beat within the given time slot... But, her need for revenge was just too much for her to bare… and she killed in vengeance."

Now, Minato was starting to understood. These selections of his weren't as random as he claimed they were. It was a cycle of cause and effect.

"Now, you may be wondering why I allowed Kiri to leave without so much as stepping foot into the arena right?" he asked, not receiving an answer. "Well, it's simple. Kiri is a nation known for shooting themselves in the foot. Which is what they did… In this case, it wasn't the Kage of Kiri that represented them. No, Kiri's Kage have been known to disappoint, so of course, I went to the people instead… Aya refused to give up the chance for certain freedom because of her fear of failure on her Kage's part."

The Raikage sent him a death glare. He allowed them to kill his wife for a fucking experiment?

"Had she refused to kill the young lady, rest her soul.." he said looking over to the Raikage which infuriated him. "Then, perhaps they would have lived longer." He said with a shake of his head.

Everyone was confused by this. Minato spoke up for everyone. "You let them go… or did you?" he asked, now fearing that he had something waiting for them.

Naruto put his mind to rest. "No, I did." He said nodding his head. "But, I doubt the Raikage will be letting that slide by so easily." He said looking over to him.

"You're damn right." He spit out. "And as soon as I'm finished with them, I'm coming for you." He said with a deathly look in his eyes. He looked completely insane.

Naruto smiled beneath his mask. "Oh of course. And then Suna I'm guessing." He said nodding over to The Kazekage who wasn't effected by the threat. The Raikage didn't express it, but he agreed. "And what of you Kazekage? Is Iwa still on that list of yours?" he asked looking over to him.

Finally, he pulled his head up. A dead look in his eyes that spoke volumes about his psyche. "Iwa will fall… just as Kumo will fall… just as Konoha… None of you deserve to live." He said ominously.

Menma looked over to him in surprise. "Kazekage-san." He said, in an attempt to reason with him. He was still angry that Naruto originated from Konoha? "Naruto is no longer a shinobi of Konoh-.."

"I don't care… you'll fall too." He said lowly no hint of a joke in his dead eyes.

"Suna…" Naruto said, drawing everyone's attention again. "-the nation that has fought their way out of the disgrace of the sand dunes to mark their place in this world… they take the most beating, but persevere and fight on… Kumo… the nation that holds strong in their belief of power and rule but remain firm in their qualities of self-reliance. Then, there is you… Konoha…"

The Kazekage and Raikage both eyed them in suspicion. If there was a reason they were still untouched, then what was it?

"Oh yes, the nation that everyone loves to hate… You sit atop your throne unscathed and watch as everyone else tears themselves apart… The definition of a false god…" he said.

"Hold on." Minato said, trying to defend them. "We're only unscathed because you haven't chosen any of us." He said, pointing out the obvious.

"Of course I haven't. There's been no need to." He said as if he just gave them a huge revelation. "Without any help at all.. you lot gain the most enemies… Why is that?" he asked with a sincere tone as if he were really asking. "Your power." He said with a nod.

Minato and Menma looked at each other in confusion. Now he was telling them things they already knew. "This isn't news to us… the more power you gain, the bigger the target on your back, we get it." He said as if he figured out the next cracked out philosophical theory Naruto had coming up.

"Well, actually it's not that." He said shocking them. "It's actually the opposite… Your false power is what I should have said." He said with a nod. "You believe your village is the strongest because of the people you hold within. With individuals such as Kakashi of the Sharingan, The Red Death, The entire Uchiha clan, The Hyuga, the Yellow Flash, the list goes on and on. You have grown arrogant in your seat at the top. Now, you walk around and flaunt your abilities off as if they were just badges of honor or something." He said in disgust.

"Are you saying we are weak?" Menma asked, truly confused by what he was trying to say.

"On the contrary." Naruto said, now they were truly confused. Everything they said, he would say the opposite. Which one was it!? "You're strong… but your village as a whole… is very weak… With the individuals you have, there is an unquestionable struggle of power that you yourself aren't even aware of." Naruto said. Now he was talking as if he knew something they didn't. "How well do you know your people, Menma?" Naruto asked.

Now he was truly confused. "What the hell are you talking about!?" he yelled out.

"Your-people-Menma." He said slowing down his speech in a mocking way. "How well do you know them?"

Minato took the initiative and placed his hand on Menma's shoulder. "We know them well Naruto… far better than you do." He said in a brief moment of arrogance.

Naruto chuckled beneath his mask. "I would argue that case Tou-san." He said with a grin. "In fact, I'd venture into saying that you are completely unaware of what goes on within the shadows of that great tree of yours… You live in ignorance of a village that does not follow you, contrary to what you may believe… Friendship is a fickle thing, and let's just say I learned that the hard way."

"What are you trying to say?" Menma asked, not liking what he was implying even though he didn't actually understand it. It sounded like he was saying they had traitors in the village, which he wouldn't stand to hear.

Naruto just shrugged and walked towards the Raikage's prize slot. "Well, if you don't get it, that's fine. You will eventually." He said cryptically.

"Get the fuck away from him!" the Raikage yelled, seeing Naruto standing behind his son. That was all he had now, and he'd be damned if he lost him too.

Naruto stared him in the eyes and went through hand signs. In a flash of light, the carrier holding the Kazekage's nephew appeared in the center arena. The barrier fell as did the Kazekage's. "You've done well Gaara. You are free to go… I believe you get the point." Gaara said nothing. He grabbed his nephew and left. Once he was gone, the barrier arose once again. Going through hand signs, the Raikage appeared within it. "As do you Raikage." He said breaking the collar from the boy's neck. In a flash of light, the boy was in the barrier, stumbling from the disorientation.

The Raikage caught him before he fell. He hugged him to his chest and glared up at Naruto. The barrier fell again. The look he was giving him was enough to know that there would be hell to pay if he didn't die here. He turned to leave and stared up at Minato and Naruto. "Another monster from Konoha…" he shook his head and walked off, letting his statement hang in the air.

When he left Naruto chuckled. "Wow, is that what Konoha is known for? Ha." He said as if everything were just normal.

Minato stepped up to address him. "What now?" he asked looking around at all the empty slots. "What do we have to do to get her back?"

Naruto looked down at the sleeping child in the carrier. He shrugged his shoulders and sent her down to the arena in a flash. The barrier around them fell as well. "Nothing… congratulations for effortlessly surviving." He said. They all jumped down and Kushina picked up Sumire. Naruto and Ino sat on their thrones lazily staring at the group. Well, Naruto was staring at them. Ino was still asleep.

Menma and Minato stepped forward staring off against the two of them, their intentions clear. "We're not letting you two go." Menma said seriously. "You didn't expect us to just leave did you?"

Naruto leaned his head on his hand. "Of course not Otouto… That'd be too easy." He said in a condescending tone. Menma grit his teeth. Before he did anything his mother stepped forward with the baby in her arms.

"Naruto… are you not done?" she asked him incredulously. "Everyone's gone… we're not going to kill you." She said.

Naruto chuckled and looked passed her. "Tch, speak for yourself." He said eyeing his father. "Isn't that right Tou-san?"

Kushina spun around, seeing he had already pulled his kunai. "Minato… y-…"

"Kushina… take Sumire and Kakashi home." He said with a serious tone. His distraught expression telling her all she need to know.

She slowly shook her head, knowing what he was saying. "No…" she said lowly. "No, you can't do this! You're not gonna kill him! Minato he's our son!" she yelled. "What if he kills you!?"

"Then, I'll probably deserve it… Kushina, it's like you said… this is our fault." He looked up to Naruto, trying to convince himself as well. "-and we have to fix it."

Kushina looked down to Sumire while he spoke… she did say that. Those were words from her own mouth, so watch changed now? Nothing did, she was right then, just as Minato is right now. She shut her eyes and kissed Sumire's forehead. She handed her to Kakashi. "Then, I'm staying." She said turning around and looking up at the two as well. Minato was about to dispute it but she beat him to the punch. " **We** have to fix it." She said giving him a look that told him she wasn't leaving. Minato sighed and nodded to her.

Ino yawned as her eyes fluttered open. "Ugh." She said looking around. "Wow, everyone's already gone." She said smiling over at Naruto. "We finally gonna fight the family?" she asked, as if this were a story told to her before.

Naruto smirked and nodded. "Yeah, it seems like it." He said standing to his feet with her following his lead. "Let's give em' hell doll face."

 **AN: There we go. Less overwhelming, thought provoking conversation, more action… kind of. I hope you guys enjoyed. Stick around for the conclusion.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Welcome back! All great reviews, except one guy who was really ticked off by the direction this story took, claiming it had no 'learning point's' or 'hero' something, I don't know. He confused me. But, other than that, you guys seem to enjoy it. Get ready to be thrown for a loop in this chapter however! Revelations galore!... Kinda… enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 15**

Naruto and Ino stepped to the edge of the cliff, waiting for his family come to terms with what they had to do. Naruto watched as Kakashi took Sumire in his arms. The silver haired man spared him one last look. "Naruto… I am sorry we have let you fall as far as you have… in a way, we are all to blame." He said with true remorse in his tone. "I wish it could have been different." With his piece said, he began to limp towards the edge.

Naruto watched him go for a few moments. "So do I… Kakashi…" he called out. The silver-haired Jonin stopped his walking for a slight second. He didn't turn around, but he did stop to take those words in. In his mind, those words were said from the mouth of the younger Naruto. The one before this. That's how he chose to remember him. Not with that disturbed mask on his face. With a heavy heart, he left them to the battle of their fate. Knowing only one side would emerge.

With him gone, Minato looked up to Naruto, no one moved, they just remained in their spots, staring at each other. "Naruto…" He called out hollowly. "Regardless of any of this… or anything you've done in the past… I am proud of the splendid shinobi you've become… I always have been." He said getting that piece off of his chest while he still could. To him, and to all of them… they knew this battle would end in the death of either them, or their opponent. There would be no mercy here.

Menma spoke up next, having something he wanted to say as well. "…I don't know if it will mean anything to you… but… when we were younger… the only reason I did anything I did… was for you… That's why I wanted to start my training so early… I just wanted to catch up to you… Seems like I never did." He said with a hollow chuckle, gulping down the lump in his throat.

Kushina didn't have much to say either, but she did have something. She sighed, trying not to cry in front of them. "I don't know… why you did this… I don't know how much it means to you… But…" the flood gates were starting to open. Lucky for her, a crack of thunder seemed to kick start the rain that began pouring down incredibly quickly. "This is the life you chose… and no matter… no matter what the context." She said with a sad giggle. "You found someone who loves you… Someone who lets you see the world… I'm so… happy for you." She said sincere in her words.

Naruto still had not said anything. He was just watching them, his eyes tracking whoever was talking. When they had all said their piece, he looked out towards the sea, watching the violently twirling water below. Finding it poetically fitting with the situation. " _Watch me as I sleep and smile when I wake… Before you lay me down again, remember my last words. We will always be as we always were. Complete, even as broken as we are… we will always be complete. Believe me when I say it, because I'll say it once more. We will always be…_ "

His words ended there and he inhaled deeply. He turned towards the group and steadied himself.

"I know how troubling this can be… family facing off against family. I've seen this scene plenty of times." He said garnering confused looks from the three. He shrugged his shoulders. "I read it in a book… Many books actually. It seems a common thing for family to kill each other… these situations make for the best stories after all." As he was talking, he was readying himself for the coming battle by removing his jacket. "Maybe it be by some sickening design of humanity to have some disturbed thoughts of killing our own family." He unsealed his sword and strap, placing it around his form. "As common as it is, you'd have to assume something along those lines, right?"

Seeing him getting ready, everyone else did as well, allowing the sounds of the thunder and rain to accent Naruto's words as he spoke.

"There used to be a methodical way of writing a good book. In fact, I think Jiraiya was the last person to use such a tactic." He said drawing his sword and swiping it in the air to test its balance. "There will never be an author as thorough as that old pervert." He said with a chuckle bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "As grotesquely perverted as he was, the man knew how to write when it wasn't all smut and porn. As did Tsunade now that I think about it… hmm, lot of good authors from Konoha." He said shaking his head. "Anyways! I'm getting off topic." He said finally stopping. "Let's not waste such a beautiful day…"

Everyone stopped all movement. They stared each other down, no one moving an inch. The rain and the crashing waves eating up most of the surrounding sounds. Minato and Menma held their tri-pronged Kunai in reverse grips. Naruto holding his lone sword the same. Ino's swords were also reverse grip and Kushina wielded hers as a true swordsman. The rain between them falling without mercy gave away no intentions on either of their sides.

In the very next flash of lightning, the battle was on. Menma threw his kunai forward and flashed to it, instantly being kicked back by the red head who followed after him. Minato flashed to Menma and grabbed his hand on the way, simultaneously sending a kick towards Naruto that missed him completely. Before Naruto could slice him in half, his blade was parried by his mothers who came rushing in. Naruto flipped to his feet and landed in the arena. Before Kushina could rush towards him, she was drop kicked and sent flying over the side of the structure with Ino diving off right behind her.

Naruto watched the Kunai headed his way become many as they all surrounded him. To his surprise, both Menma and Minato began flashing towards the Kunai, kicking up a light show of bright yellow with each Kunai they flew to. Evening the odds, Naruto began flashing to all of them as rapidly as they were, his red mixing with their vibrant yellows.

Appearing at a tag with Menma, he ducked beneath his swipe at his throat and thrusted his sword forward. Menma flew away, just before it hit him. Naruto flashed away as well, leaving his sword standing up next to a tag. Flashing to another one, Naruto jumped avoiding his father who nearly caught him in the thigh. He flashed to another one and jumped back, avoiding a slash for his throat, on his way back, Menma flashed behind him, hearing a yelp of pain, he knew his plan worked. The flashes died out as Naruto jumped away from the two. Minato turned to see Menma with a sword sticking through his calf. Naruto had placed it upright, knowing how carelessly Menma jumps, he knew he'd flash to the tag without thinking.

Menma pulled it out and nodded to his father who nodded back. Minato created a Rasengan and flashed to a kunai close to the redhead. Naruto expected it and jumped up, avoiding the blast. As he did, Menma came lunging at him with one of his own, he felt his father grab his ankle, not only holding him in place, but also placing a tag on him.

Naruto twisted his body awkwardly and grabbed onto Minato's arm. He used his downed body to pull himself away from the attack from his brother and quickly sent Minato flying with a kick to his chest. Menma recovered from his missed attack and rushed back in. On the way, he scooped up the discarded black sword and threw it as hard as he could.

* * *

Kushina flipped back along the water, eventually planting her feet onto the side of the jagged rock formation behind her, flipping up that as well. The blade that was thrown at her impaling into the side. Ino rushed forward and plucked the blade from the stone. She chased the red-headed woman, delivering slash after slash. Kushina was an expert with a blade. She blocked each attack the blonde girl threw her way, even managing to maintain enough distance to avoid the attacks on her pressure points.

Blocking another slash, she stabbed into the rock beneath her feet and slashed upwards, pulling a chunk with it. With the force of gravity, the rock shot towards the blonde who had to cut through it in order to stay on the side of the rocks. As soon as she did, Kushina was dropping towards her with both of her feet out. Ino had no time to dodge and took the skyward drop kick that sent her rocketing towards the water. She stabbed her sword into rock and righted herself. Kushina had done the same and when Ino began rushing forward, she did as well.

Ino planted one of the swords into the rock sideways and continued on, apparently wanting to face the woman in a single-bladed battle. The two locked blades for a second, before Kushina used the weight of her gravity against her and forced her back. Ino quickly got her control back and rushed forward, slashing violently at the red-haired woman. Kushina was once again put on the defensive as they climbed higher and higher. Finally getting some room, Kushina cut her chakra and nosedived towards the surprised blond. She swiped her strike out of the way and tackled her.

The two went into a stumble along the side of the rocks until Ino finally got her senses back. She grabbed onto Kushina's ankles and spun violently before throwing her towards the water, falling right behind her. On the way, she plucked the sword she had stuck into the wall out and threw it down after her.

When Kushina's back hit the water, she saw the sword and the blond headed her way as well. Quickly, a chain flew from her back and knocked the sword off its path. It headed straight for Ino's unprotected form, but she punched the side of the rock formation and threw herself further out towards the sea.

Landing on the violent waters, she waited for the red-haired woman to resurface. Her eyes lit up when she saw a glimmer of gold beneath her. She jumped, avoiding the chain that almost impaled her and she was forced to keep jumping to avoid the many that followed after it. Looking for the source, she finally saw her surface and stand atop the water as well. With a deep breath, she cut the chakra to her feet and used her knowledge of water jutsu to propel her around the rapid currents, trying to flank her.

While underneath, she found herself trying to dodge the same chains that had been chasing her earlier. Figuring she'd have a better chance up top, she resurfaced, shooting through the air and jumping away to avoid the strikes. She began circling around the rock formations hoping to confuse the red-head or at the very least test her and see how far these chains could be extended. She weaved in and out of the bottom of the rock formations created just the day before.

Kushina saw her plan but went along with it anyways. Her focus was lost when a booming sound came from the top of the Arena pillar. It was followed by the sound of rumbling before something flew from the side of the pillar, splitting the top of it in half. Whatever it was shot out with a trail of smoke. When it finally broke through, it was Menma who splashed down and hit the water.

She looked back to make sure the blond girl was still running from her chains before making sure Menma was ok. She saw him scramble back up to the surface with a grimace, but he seemed fine. "Tou-san!" he yelled looking up to the top of the formation. Kushina traced his eyes and saw Naruto rushing the stumbling man with a sword in hand.

Thinking quickly, she yelled with effort, tightening her chains enough to completely shatter the rock formations at their base, bringing the rest of it down as well.

Naruto was thrown off balance by the sudden quake and noticed that it was starting to lean, he looked out towards the sea and leaped away. Landing on the very violently churning water, he steadied himself and looked back towards the three who regrouped. On the other side of them was Ino, standing on the flattened piece that still remained above water.

Their three opponents turned to each other and seemed to discuss something briefly before nodding to each other. Menma and Kushina turned and ran towards Ino, clearly planning on taking her out quickly then ganging up on him with no distractions. A sound plan in his opinion. He stared off against his father who began walking towards him.

"It's a sad day when a father faces his son in battle… especially when death knocks at both their doors." He said, loud enough for Minato to hear him over the sound of the rain and violent waves.

Minato shrugged his shoulders, still trying to catch his breath. He took off running towards the red-head in a slow trot before he built up to a sprint.

* * *

Ino ducked under the lunging blonde Kage and blocked the slash from Kushina who came up next. She kicked her in the knee sending her to the ground before rolling out of the way of Menma's stomp that cracked the rock beneath her. She got to her feet and rushed him, picking up her discarded sword and slashing at him. He was forced to swivel out the way, having no Kunai left to defend himself.

Ino nearly slipped against the wet rock, giving Menma his chance. He punched her in the stomach, hunching her body over and making her drop her blade again. As he did, his mother came flying over-head and gave her an axe kick to the back of her head. Ino's mask hit the ground, cracking in half. She rolled out the way, avoiding Kushina finishing blow. Getting to her feet, she was kicked in the chest by Menma, sending her tumbling back out towards the water.

Righting herself, she stood to her feet and went through hand signs. A ball of flames shot toward the two as if there was no rain at all. It hit the spot they were previously standing. They were coming in two different directions now and she knew she'd have to make it back to Naruto if she had even the slimmest chance of survival. Just as they came in with an attempt at a high low attack, she sunk down into the water and shot off with Kushina's chain chasing her.

Propelling out of the water, she jumped from right to left avoiding the chains trying to drag her back. Naruto was only a few more yards away. They worked better together so if she made it, they had a chance. She was surprised when Menma appeared in front of her, kneeing her in her now unprotected face. She felt the blood rush into her skull almost instantly. With no time to recover, Menma delivered a round house kick that sent her skipping across the water.

He ran over, not wanting her to get up. When he thought she was about to, he went for a kick that would have landed had she continued her same movement, instead she cut her chakra, slipping down into the water. Menma jumped away, avoiding her as she popped back up with a kunai in hand. He had her tagged so he could expend a little room. Inhaling, he flashed back over to her and tried to punch her in the face. Ino's reflexes were just too quick and she leaned out of the way and kicked him in his weakest spot. Menma hunched over cradling his baby maker until he was kneed in the nose in revenge.

He stumbled back and Ino was already rushing him with the kunai until her leg was impaled by Kushina's chain. "Argh!" she yelled out in pain. Menma quickly righted himself and went to punch her in the face. Ino cut the chakra to her feet once again and sunk down into the water. Kushina yanked her back out, allow Menma to hit her in the gut. Before he could get another hit in, a flash of red appeared before he was kicked in the chest and sent stumbling away. Naruto plucked the chain from Ino's leg and jumped back.

He landed and immediately began healing the injury while keeping an eye on the others. "That'll lessen the pain." He said forcing her to stand back up. "You gotta keep fighting Ino." He said casually as he placed his hand over the Hiraishin seal they placed on her. She nodded and looked at the three that now surrounded them. She and Naruto stood back to back, staring them down as well.

Again, the battle began with a brief flash of lightening. Menma and Minato ran forward while Kushina stayed back trying to catch them with her chains. Ino rolled over Naruto's back, kicking Menma's leg away before he hit Naruto in the side. As he stumbled forward, she jabbed him in the throat. And kicked his chest before rolling into him, avoiding the chain that split her and Naruto apart. As the chain came rocketing towards her, she flipped back.

Naruto stuck his hand up and grabbed Ino's. Yanking down, Ino kicked out, stopping Minato's run and kicking up the water, hiding his view momentarily. Before it even fell, Naruto's foot has soared through it catching him on the chin and sending him flying back. Naruto jumped back, pulling Ino with him avoiding the set of chains that almost impaled them.

They landed a ways back and he began going through hand signs. Ino spewed out some kind of oil that sprayed and clung to the water and Naruto burned it with a stream of flames. Menma jumped to the side, ignoring the technique and rushed forward, slashing at the two. He jumped over the kunai Ino threw his way and kicked her backwards. Reaching Naruto, he engaged him in a battle of taijutsu before somehow getting the better of the redhead and kicking him back.

Naruto got to his feet and rushed forward with Ino following close behind him. They both jumped, avoiding the chain from below. Menma chased after Naruto going through hand signs. In a poof of smoke, two more of him appeared next to him. The three rushed forward throwing punch after punch that refused to land. With his much superior taijutsu abilities, Naruto was able to dispatch the two clones.

So caught up in the fight, Naruto's foot was impaled by a chain and he was yanked forward. Acting quickly, Menma formed a Rasengan and slammed it into his chest. It tore through skin and bone with ease, sending Naruto skidding back against the water.

Menma watched as his tumble was stopped by a rock he hadn't seen there. Ino ran to him, screaming his name in a panic. He did it… they did it… Ino dropped to her knees and cradled Naruto's bloodied face in her hands. "Hey!... Hey! You're alright!" she yelled out frantically. "Naruto… Hey!" desperation and sorrow were clear on her visage. "Naruto! Please no! Don't do this to me! God damn it!" she yelled slapping his chest.

Minato came up next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Menma… finish it." He said handing him a kunai. Menma stared at it tragically for a few seconds before walking forward. Ino didn't even turn around to look at him. His chest was hurting… in fact, so was his thigh… and his arm… and his head.

Turning around, he heard his mom calling his name… At least, he thought he did. She was back there in the distance screaming something. He couldn't make out what it was, but it was something. Yeah… yeah it was definitely his name. What did she want at a time like this? He was just about to end it all. He was so close to ending this whole thing. All he had to do was…

* * *

"Wake up!" his mother's voice finally rang through his head. His eyes opened up and half his body was submerged in the water below. He blinked a few times wondering what happened. He looked up to see his father fending off against the both of them. But… he killed Naruto already. "Come on Menma." Kushina said. "They got you with some kind of toxin. Luckily you've got the Kyubi." She said. "You probably would have been out for days."

Menma blinked a few more times before shaking his head and standing back up. Damn, they got him. "Come on Kaa-san." He said rushing back in. Kushina followed him back and they rejoined the fight. Minato jumped away from Ino as she swiped at his chest. Menma came soaring in, kicking her away and quickly blocked Naruto's strike. Naruto dodged his counter and put him in a choke hold then he gently pushed him forward when Kushina's chain came flying out of the water.

Kushina stopped the strike just before it punctured Menma's chest. They both breathed sighs of relief until Naruto dropped back down and kicked Menma back over to her. He immediately had to jump back when Minato came rushing towards him. He leaped away, it was too late when he realized Minato was leading him away intentionally. Leaving Ino alone with those two again. Clever.

Staring off against him again, they rushed forward. Minato had one last tri-pronged kunai. He slashed at Naruto who leaned out of the way of it. He countered with a quick jab to Minato's chin. Minato blinked it off and slashed again, receiving two more jabs before he even brought his arm back. Going for an overhead slash, Naruto stuck his arm up and pushed his forearm up against Minato's wrist.

With his body exposed, Naruto kneed him in the gut. Minato coughed up spittle and dropped the Kunai, letting it fall behind the redhead. As soon as he let it go, he flashed to it, appearing behind him. Naruto expected it and turned to catch Minato's wrist. When he did, he spun the other way and kicked the man in the chest. Minato was sent skipping across the water like a rock. Naruto flashed to the Kunai in Minato's hand and appeared behind him. He stuck his knee out, causing Minato to hit his back incredibly hard.

Minato's face contorted in a grimace and just before he sunk down into the water, Naruto grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tossed him again. He was sent skidding in the direction of the other three who were still hard at the battle. Naruto looked over and noticed that, even though she was holding her own, Ino was losing. Figuring his father had enough, he began walking that way.

As soon as he took that first step, he was kicked in the face. His back hit the water and he quickly flipped back up to see his father still standing. He was on his last legs and it didn't look like he had much left in him anymore. Minato wobbled back and forth on his feet, but the fire in his eyes remained.

Taking a deep breath, he rushed forward again. Naruto bobbed and weaved his unprofessional strikes with ease. It felt more like fighting a drunken brawler at this point. He grabbed his fist and used the bottom of his palm to push his nose back into his head painfully. Minato stumbled back disoriented by the strike. Before he could right himself, Naruto kicked him in the stomach, sending him to his knees.

"You have more fight than I thought you would Tou-san." Naruto said looking down at him. "I expected nothing less from the Yellow Flash." He said as he began to step around him. Minato reached out and grabbed Naruto's ankle painfully. He couldn't let him go yet.

Naruto could have simply lifted his leg and continued on, but there was something about the action itself that made him stop. He looked down and noticed how he was slowly sinking into the water. He tilted his head, wondering what it was that was keeping him going. He grabbed Minato's wrist and pulled his body from the rippling water. He stared at his beaten expression in wonder. There was nothing left in him. He wasn't dead yet or anywhere close to it, but he was too tired to continue fighting. He didn't have the reserves for this water front battle.

"Naruto!" yelled Ino from the distance. Naruto turned that way to see that they had finally subdued her. Kushina had her wrists impaled with her chakra chains and she was left dangling by her arms. With the sword now in Menma's hands. Naruto stared at them for a few seconds before dropping Minato back into the water. He struggled to just keep his head afloat any longer. Seeing him coming, Menma made his decision quickly and stabbed her through the heart.

Her eyes shot open wide and she gasped at the sharp pain. In a flash of red, Naruto kicked Menma away, and grabbed onto Ino. The chakra chains dispersed as Kushina ran for the drowning Minato. There was a piece of land shallow enough for him to stand in so Kushina and Boruto carried him there. It wasn't too far from Ino and Naruto.

Naruto offered her absolutely no words of comfort. She was now choking on her own blood and he just watched her pleading eyes. He was holding her body above water though. Slowly, Ino's breathing began to slow ever so slightly and tears left her eyes. "Shh-shh-shh." Naruto whispered down to her. "You were always but an empty doll… You served your purpose." He said heartlessly, shutting her eyes for her. The others heard his parting words and were absolutely appalled. How cruel could he be?

When the life finally left Ino's eyes, Naruto gently pushed her body down. As it filled with water, she began to sink towards the bottom. No parting words said, and no cries of sympathy from the man she claimed to love with all of her heart. Naruto used the water to wash the blood from his hands as he stood up.

He began walking over to them ever so slowly. When he finally came within range, he stared across the way at his exhausted looking father and his angry brother. "Now, a true family death match." He said with a casual tone as if he didn't care in the slightest that his companion had just died. "No more distractions." He said.

"…What the hell is wrong with you?" Menma asked him with clear anger bubbling in his tone.

Naruto shrugged. "Too many things Otouto… too many things." He said slowly. "Well, while we're waiting for Tou-san to regain some energy, how about a little insight?" he asked dropping down so that he was just standing in the water and not wasting energy.

"Insight into what?" Menma asked. "What more could you have?" he was mentally exhausted from listening to Naruto's ramblings all day. What more could he possibly have to talk about now?

"After the attack on the leaf, I went to visit an old friend if you will. Not really much of a friend but…" he said shrugging his shoulders. "He is a man who sought more than what everyone believed he did. Including myself. For so long I thought him to be a selfish man with nothing but his own interests in mind. Come to find out, you don't truly know who a man is, until he's on his death bed. I've known this all too well."

"What the hell are you rambling about now?" Menma asked, clearly getting frustrated by his cryptic speech pattern.

Naruto smirked and waved his hands across the water. "The people we face in our lives.. never truly show who they are until they are forced to do so… could I tell you a little story while we wait?" he asked not receiving an answer. He shrugged and continued on.

* * *

A panther… and a tiger… two unlikely companions found a friendship rooted deep within the confines of secrecy. The tiger was… a bit of a wild card. Having been scorned by the world too many times to bear, the striped beast grew spiteful in his thinking. Everything he saw or felt was looked at in the worse possible way. He plotted revenge against those that harmed him in the past. He wanted it so bad, even though he was but a cub. He knew hatred all too well.

Then one day, he met a panther cub… Even as young as they were, the panther walked with such grace and joy, that it made the tiger envious of that carefree life. For, the tiger was all alone in the world… and the panther had an entire family that depended on him. The tiger had no purpose, while the panther had the most. When they first spoke, the tiger was hell bent on convincing the panther that he should not be as happy as he was. Sure, he had family, and lots of friends, but where would that leave him when they were gone? Or when his usage ran out?

The panther just smiled and told the poor little confused tiger that… the world isn't always fair. So, you have to focus on what it does give you… instead of focusing on what it doesn't. From that day forth, the tiger changed his ways. Inspired by the sweet tongue of the panther, he vowed to be more like him, even when his surroundings didn't permit it. True to his words, the tiger cub lived his life, sticking to that belief. He believed it whole heartedly and had anyone tried to tell him different, he'd ignore it.

The panther and the tiger cubs were inseparable. Slowly, the tiger was drawn into the family of the dark furred cats and he was shown the same level of appreciation as the panther cub. He gained a friend and a family, just by focusing on the brighter things and ignoring the ugliness of life. He loved every second of being with them, but something about them always felt off. It was just a foreign feeling that he held dormant within his soul for many years.

As they grew, the cubs became beasts and started to defend their section of the jungle they called their home, and every creature within it. It was the first time in a long time that the tiger felt he had any purpose at all, so he took it with extreme gratitude. The two grew stronger together, each of them acting as the fuel to the others fire. That was how they grew.

Eventually, their lives began to ever so slightly drift apart when the panther found love. It was an expected thing of course, but the panther he fell in love with was a somewhat weaker fighter. She could not properly defend herself and as inevitable as it was in the world they lived in, she was captured by a… by a lion… a lion that everyone hated. For, he was the most selfish predator within the jungle.

The panther and the tiger went after her, and when they finally caught them, the lion gave the panther an ultimatum. He claimed he wanted to be entertained so he demanded they fight to the death. In their battle to end it all, the lion spoke of some kind of atrocious betrayal that the tiger couldn't understand. He was babbling on about the darkness of the jungle and how deceitful some of the creatures could be.

The stakes were raised when the tiger was forced to fight back due to… unknown reasons. As they repeatedly clashed, both going for the kill, the lion finally explained himself.. in a way. He told the tiger something that made him realize what it was he was trying to say. He told him, " _As a child, making a friend is easy, which is why the tactic is so clever_."

The tiger ended up killing the panther that day… unaware that by doing so… he unintentionally saved a jungle he no longer cared for. When he returned with the news of what had happened, he was ostracized by everyone. Even hearing the story and knowing he had no choice, he became a well-hated individual until he eventually became nothing. A prisoner… within his own mind, trapped in isolation.

For years he remained just as he was… a lone beast, hating the world and thinking up ways to make a difference. But, all those years, he remembered the words of that lion. Wondering what they could have meant. He had a hunch, but he couldn't understand why. An end to his isolation came and he traveled the jungle, in search of the necessary things he needed to toss a stone in the pond.

When he retrieved these things, he began his deeds, doing things he would have never thought he'd do. Once again, his name was known in hatred, and he was ostracized by many. He eventually found his way back to his section of the jungle with the band of misfits he acquired and attack his own people. After that, he went to greet an old friend… well, still not really a friend, but you know…

He returned to the lion with that one question in mind. After all these years, the lion remained alive. The tiger demanded the answer to the question that had plagued his mind for so many years as it ate him apart. The lion said he had no issue divulging that information if the tiger was able to defeat him in a fight to the death. After a hard fought battle of two hated individuals, the lion finally divulged the information.

The panther's innocence was a fraud. He had only chosen the tiger as a friend for the sake of drawing him in. The panther's family had a plan. They had been silently recruiting other families to enact a… take over… if you will. You see, they felt that the jungle was not being ruled the right way. The tiger's actual family had been the ones to lead the jungle for the past few years, and their leadership was lax. For they spent too much time on trivial matters rather than taking an actual interest in the needs of the jungle.

Unintentionally on the tiger's part, he and the lion prevented a war all those years ago… The lion was responsible for taking the panthers heart, knowing that he would come after her. He was the strongest member of the panther's family, and the key to tilting the balance of power to their favor… That was the reason the tiger was ostracized so profusely upon his return and his tale. Not because he killed their family member, but because he destroyed their weapon, and it'd be years before the next one would be ready.

Even the people unaware of the apparent take over disregarded him as nothing more than a common beast. They hated him, because he prevented a war… granted they had no idea, it's just sort of ironic. But… there was still one thing bothering the tiger. The lion had been hated by all, so why go through that trouble to save people that would have much rather seen him dead?

The lion's reasoning was because he was going to be the one that brought the jungle to its knees, not that sneaky pack of panthers. No, it would be him. The villain of the jungle saved the animals within it… for a selfish reason, but he did save them nonetheless.

* * *

"And that's what you don't yet understand little brother. All of your knowledge is derived from the likes of these, heroically seen individuals. You embody these beliefs of courage, power, and self-sacrifice because you crave endearment." Naruto said. "But, you have to understand, there's a lot to learn from the words of a man who lurks in the shadows of righteousness."

Menma shook his head vehemently. "No… no-no-no, you're lying." He said, trying to convince himself more than anyone. Minato and Kushina were silent, thinking about what Naruto had said. The characters were obvious, but how could they possibly know if the story were true or not?

Minato, having finally recovered some amount of strength finally spoke up. "You believe that?" he asked him looking directly into the holes of his mask.

Naruto stared right back at him. "Perhaps I shouldn't, given his track record. But, I do because of something I remember from back then. My uh… 'best friend's' last words were what solidified it." He said looking out towards the water.

* * *

With a sword through his chest, Itachi's bloodied and beaten face rested on Naruto's shoulder. His onyx eyes looking at the tips of his blonde hair. Coughing out more blood, he grimaced, feeling the sword shaking within his body. With a shaky voice, barely even audible, he leaned into Naruto's ear. "… _Before I go… remember my name… it was the only thing real in this friendship…_ "

Naruto's eyes expanded in realization of what that meant. His grip on the sword loosened, until his hands dropped to his sides. Who was this? Who was this man on his shoulder?

"I'm… sorry."

The wait slipped off of his shoulder and with a thud, his best friend was gone. He stared at the wall in front of him, like a projector within his mind, he played out the scenes of their best moments. The training, the talks they've had, the book he was given on his twelfth birthday…

He dropped to his knees and hunched over with his hands supporting his weight. A slow trail of blood slipped into his line of sight and he stared back at his reflection. A tear slipped from his eye and splashed down into the red liquid, causing it to ripple ever so slightly.

A slow chuckle caught his attention, being accented by a slow rhythmic clapping. "And then there was one." Orochimaru said with a slithery tone as he stood up. Naruto then just realized why he did what he did. He looked up and flinched when the snake Sanin slit the throat of the bound and gagged Izumi.

The crying of his sister caught his attention and he crawled in that direction. "mi-… Mito." He called out desperately. When he finally looked her way, the crying stopped and her face began to distort into the image of that man. The well-known shinobi of Kusagakure, One hundred transformation Kazan.

"You did well Naruto." Orochimaru praised. "It was a noble thing you've done today… You'll realize one day." He said before disappearing into the back room being followed by the rogue shinobi.

Naruto was left there in the barrier, next to the dead bodies of his only two friends.

* * *

"What does that prove?" Menma asked, not understanding how that explained anything.

Naruto sighed and looked back over to him. "On my twelfth birthday, Itachi gave me a book… It was called 'On the Nature of Betrayal'… a drama that depicted the falsified friendship between a spy and his target… ' _Before I go, remember my name. It was the only thing real in this friendship._ '" He said quoting the book just as Itachi had all those years ago. "I feel a little foolish now. He gave me that almost like a joke between him and his family. Played me for a fool the whole time. All to produce another shinobi of Itachi's caliber and have him join their cause…"

Menma shook his head again. "No… no even so. That would've died along with Itachi." He said trying to poke holes in the story. "You said he was the key to tilting the power struggle so with him gone, there would be no more plan." He argued.

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders. "You're being played for a fool Menma." He said shaking his head. "Tou-san… you know it as well… Remember that day on the balcony? When you wanted to talk to me after the three year training and all that?" he asked.

Minato stared at the water before him, recalling the conversation. Of course he remembered.

"When I told you 'Those two will become something amazing one day'… 'That's a lot how Itachi and I were…'."

Oh yes, Minato was getting the hint. He couldn't voice it, but he knew what Naruto was saying. "… How do you know all of this?" he asked, not understanding where Naruto was pulling all of this information from.

Naruto shrugged again. "I overthrew a very disappointing leader for his army of Shinobi village haters and he had a very extensive spy network. Dedicated nuke ninja who were woven deeply within the undergrounds of their respective villages." He said casually. "I got this information from piecing together the bits and pieces I had. What solidified it was the confirmation of a traitor among the group of traitors… a Hyuga if you'd believe it…"

"So… the Hyuga are against us as well?" Menma asked, clearly not enjoying the upsetting news. Naruto shrugged as if telling him he would believe what he wished. "God! Tou-san! You're not believing this right!?" he screamed at him.

Minato had no words for the moment. It was too much to comprehend. I mean, being gone for three years, half the village could have turned on them. What would give Naruto a reason to lie? He made it clear before they even started this that he was possibly going to die today. So, why would he lie?

"I… I don't know Menma…" he said sadly. Menma stared at him, completely appalled that he would even dare consider it after everything that's happened.

Naruto placed his palms on the surface of the violently shifting water and pushed up until his feet resurfaced. He stood back up onto the surface of the water, clearly ready to get back to the feet. "Well, believe what you will Menma. Heed my warning though. The life of a shinobi is shrouded in secrecy. For the sake of your wife, and your daughter… do what you must, even if for a slight chance you think what I'm saying could be true… don't risk it." He said

The three of them rose to the top of the water too and faced off against him, Menma's features completely distraught by the troubling news. Minato and Kushina stood a little further back behind him, staring at his back. Now, there was even more to worry about. Whether Naruto was telling the truth or not was not yet decided, but they would remain vigilant upon their return. Well, if they returned that is.

 **AN: There we go. Less overwhelming, thought provoking conversation, more action… kind of. I hope you guys enjoyed. Stick around for the conclusion.**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Welcome back. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I am sorry ahead of time if that chapter is sloppy. I'm on a bit of a tight schedule at the moment, so I'm writing when I can. Luckily, we're nearing the conclusion! I'm not sure if the next chapter will be the finale or not, but if it is, it'll be great!... maybe… Anyways! Enjoy the possibly second to last chapter!**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 16**

The rain, beating down mercilessly, did not hinder the intense stare down of the three on one standoff. The water they stood on bounced and rippled with the way of the storm. Flashes of lightning closely followed by the booming thunder that could be felt within their own chests did little to calm their anxiousness. With an undetermined or unannounced starting point, Menma created two clones and rushed forward along with one of them, beginning the battle to end it all.

He leapt into the air, feigning a straight forward right hook. When Naruto moved in range to defend from it, he spun out of his previous attack and instead went for an overhead kick that was blocked all the same. Naruto pushed Menma up in the air before stepping back, avoiding the chain that popped up. He leapt to his left before his father could reach him. While in the air, he twisted out of the way of the Menma clone that rushed with him.

Menma quickly gave chase, using the rapidly appearing chains of his mother to swing on. When he reached the redhead, he threw a string of punches his way that were all blocked before he was kicked away. While in flight, Minato jumped over him, grabbing his hand to stop his tumble across the water before continuing on.

Naruto easily dislodged Menma's clone and lunged forward, avoiding the chains chasing him and engaged his father. He threw a right hook that was blocked with a grunt of effort before twisting his body and throwing a roundhouse kick with his right leg that was also avoided. He leaned back before he was caught in the face by Menma who came flying back in. Now with two to defend, he leapt away and went through hand signs. Two of his clones jumped out of the water. He briefly grabbed the back of their neck before the three split, attacking an opponent, the original rushing for Menma.

Kicking out, Menma ducked beneath the strike and rolled to his feet. Naruto spun around and caught the hasty punch headed his way. He kicked him in the side, putting some space between the two. As soon as he did, he went through more hand signs and jumped away, spewing out bullets of air that kicked up the water around them.

Menma dodged all of the attacks as he went through his own hand signs. When Naruto landed, Menma threw his hand forward, a huge gust of wind swept the water in front of him away as Naruto sunk beneath the dip and got behind Menma. Knowing he would, Menma turned around and blocked the punch that almost caught him in the face. He attempted to counter with one of his own, but his wrist was caught with Naruto's left hand. Naruto then used his right to push upwards on Menma's jaw, restricting his movements. When he released him, he kicked him back out to the water.

With a grunt of frustration Menma went through hand signs and slammed his hands onto the surface of the water. In a cloud of smoke, two small toads popped into existence. "Ma! Pa! I need chakra." He said urgently. With a quick nod, the two elderly toads hopped onto his shoulders and built up the necessary nature chakra. Menma's eye color changed to a deep shade of orange and his pupils shifted into horizontal lines. Two blue stripes appeared shifting down from each of his eyes to his jaw line.

Naruto watched in interest, not aware that Menma had mastered sage chakra. "Interesting…" he said quietly to himself. With a start, Menma rushed forward, considerably faster than he had been earlier. Naruto sunk into a taijutsu stance and waited for his arrival. Menma reached him and threw a sloppy right hook that Naruto leaned out of the way of. Well, he thought he did until he felt something slam into the front of his mask. He was sent skipping back along the water. Flipping to his feet, he squinted his eyes at the anomaly.

Shrugging it off, he opted to blocking instead. Rushing forward, he threw a roundhouse kick that Menma ducked beneath. When he landed he threw his arm up to block the counter kick that actually shook his arm with the amount of force. With a grunt of effort, he pushed back and ducked the follow up strikes. When he had a bit of freedom, he kicked him away, briefly disrupting the toad's continuous buildup of chakra. Going through hand signs, he jumped up into the air and spewed out balls of flames that kicked up the water around them.

Using the cover, Menma sunk down beneath the water and went through his own hand signs. From the water, two of his shadow clones leapt from the surface, trying to latch onto the ankles of Naruto who had already spotted them. They were quickly dispelled, the resulting smoke giving Menma the cover he needed as he drove the ball of spiraling chakra forward.

Naruto caught his wrist expertly and gently rerouted his attack. Before he could kill the technique out completely, his airborne father came within range and was clipped on his right shoulder.

Minato grimaced at the sting in his now injured appendage before he was painfully driven down into the water by the clone he was fighting who landed on his floating form. Flashing to the tag he placed on his back, he tried to kick him but his leg was caught with little effort. Shifting his body awkwardly, he spun the other way and actually landed with a brutal roundhouse that took the redhead off his feet.

Surprisingly though, it didn't disperse. Did that mean he was fighting the original? Jumping back from the counterattack from the downed enemy, he peeked over to see Menma land a fairly solid strike to his Naruto which also didn't dispel. With Menma in sage mode that was highly unlikely. Drawing his last remaining kunai, he landed and rolled backwards. When he made it to his feet once again, he began running along the water, jumping from right to left, he avoided the small balls of flames that rocketed towards him, seeming to curve or merge upon him for a short distance.

Seeing he was avoiding all of the attacks, Naruto switched it up and dropped back down into the water. Minato skid to a halt seeing he was no longer being chased. He lunged backwards however before the huge water dragon came screaming from the water beneath him. The dragon tailed him for a few seconds before it smacked down in the water nose first, dispersing in a shower that was indistinguishable from the rain. Now, he was faced with the problem of not knowing where Naruto was.

In his brief moment away from the battle however, he looked around amazed at these apparent clones of Naruto's. Kushina even had her chain through the arm of hers. They should have been long gone. That's when he remembered the footage he watched on Naruto and Itachi's chunin exam battle. These were Naruto's perfect clones. Though, they seemed to be a lot more durable than they were back then. So, how would they kill them? It seemed normal injuries wouldn't work. Maybe they had to actually kill them. It should be easy as he noticed they were a lot more sluggish than the real one.

Drawing his kunai he crouched down deeper into his stance. His right arm still stung from the hit he took from Menma, but he'd just have to fight through it. He jumped up, feeling the water shift beneath his feet. Sure enough, Naruto popped out and took off towards him in a sprint. Minato slashed and sliced at him, but Naruto expertly dodged the attacks with relative ease. Going for an overhead strike, Minato's wrist was grabbed and Naruto spun around giving him a very powerful roundhouse that sent him skipping back across the water. Naruto plucked the kunai from his hand before he kicked him and quickly sent it flying after him.

Flashing to it, he stuck his arm out, clotheslining the blonde man. Minato picked his face up out of the water and rolled forward and away from his own blade that was driving down to him. Naruto hopped back slightly while he threw the kunai up in the air, Minato flashed to it and grabbed it. He looked back to see Naruto finish a set of hand signs before shooting off a fireball to his unprotected form. He threw his kunai down into the water and flashed to it. Before he could resurface, his ankle was grabbed by yet another Naruto that began dragging him down. Minato tried to get out of the grip but found it impossible.

The clone threw kicks and punches his way that he was hard pressed to dodge given his quickly increasing need for air. Kicking him away, he was alarmed when the other Naruto splashed down into the water headed straight for him. Now, he was truly drowning. His ankle was grabbed again, thinking quickly, he swiveled down into an awkward position and stabbed the clone in the head. The blood poured out with the rising bubbles for a second or two before the clone dispersed in a burst of even more bubbles.

Minato used that cover to swim up and kick the other clone away before he resurfaced taking a huge gulp of air. He looked around making sure everyone else was still ok. Menma was getting handled a bit, but Kushina was doing alright, keeping her distance and utilizing her chains. He paid for his lack of focus on their battle with a kick to his jaw from the redhead he didn't know had resurfaced yet.

He quickly jumped from the water and blocked the next kick with a grunt of effort. He knew how to kill these now. Their brain had to die before they dispersed. So if he were able to even get a fatal strike that would stop their heart, it may take a few minutes, but the clone would eventually disperse. Dodging another attack, he sunk beneath the strike and sliced at his thigh. The attack missed by a hair or two and he paid for it with a brutal knee to the face.

Standing back up, he jumped forward, trying to drop kick the clone. Naruto leaned out of the way slightly, causing Minato's feet to slide onto the side of his shoulder. Naruto latched onto him and drove down, sinking his head into the water. Minato cut at his ankle, freeing himself. The Naruto clone stumbled back with the injury, grimacing from the pain but fought on nonetheless. Minato jumped up, nearly dodging the second water dragon that came soaring out.

Naruto jumped towards his airborne form and hit him across the jaw and plucked the Kunai from his hands again. Minato righted himself and flashed to the seal on Naruto's back, putting him into a choke hold. Naruto tried to reach up and stab him, but then Minato tightened his hold and ultimately snapped his neck with a resounding crack. When they finally hit the water, Minato pushed the body off of him and it began to sink. With a sigh of relief, he stood back to his feet and rushed for Menma's battle seeing that he needed some help. Upon his leave, he didn't noticed the glob of bubbles that arose from when the clone dispersed from deep down below.

* * *

Kushina chased the clone around in frustration as it didn't even try to attack her. He just continued dodging her attacks as closely as he could. It was like he was intentionally trying to stay close to them. Like he was examining them.

Naruto landed away a bit and crouched down. Kushina stopped, wondering what it was he was doing. He raised his hand and stared at his palm. Slowly, to her surprise, a bladed tip, similar to her own chain, began to rise from his palm before it faded out. He tried it again and got a little more out before it fizzed out as well. Trying it one more time, a chain successfully rose from his palm, a blue hue surrounding it as opposed to the yellow of hers. He could do it!

"Huh… so that's what it was…" he said standing to his feet. "I had read the Uzumaki scrolls within the library when I was younger. I was able to get most of the techniques down, but this one was always lost on me. Seeing it in action has taught me what I was doing wrong." He said informing her on how he was able to do it.

Kushina's eyes grew as in a moment of irony, a blue chain came soaring from beneath her. She jumped back and sent one of her own chains out to parry it. Naruto created one in each hand and rushed forward. He swiped away the multiple attacks from his mother, even using her chains to get to her faster. When he was close enough, he began swinging his own. It was clear Kushina was much more adept at using the technique however as she completely demolished him.

He jumped back and went through hand signs. The water around Kushina began to swirl into a whirlpool to her surprise. He even learned this technique? It was one of the much more difficult abilities to learn, if not the most difficult. She jumped back and away from it before she was sucked into it's current. If he truly knew the technique then she was in much more trouble than she previously thought.

Sure enough, she saw what followed the raging waters as from the violently twisting rapids, water dragons began spitting from its sides. She leapt out of the way of the first attack and noticed the one that attacked her reemerged. This was the origin of the technique of the water dragon itself. These wouldn't disperse on the first attack. They wouldn't disperse unless the user was disrupted. Leaping away from the next strike, she looked over to see that Naruto was still crouched down with his hands on the surface. Two more dragons were headed in the way of Menma and Minato.

Before she landed, she heard the cry of another one from behind her. Thinking quickly, she covered herself in her chains and flew into the mouth of the beast. While there, she spun her body violently, allowing the chains to split the water, giving her the time to get out. Going through hand signs, she spewed out an air bullet that flew for the redhead. Before it reached, another dragon leapt from the whirlpool blocking the attack. She squint her eyes and continued jumping away from the beasts. Know that going underwater would be suicide.

* * *

Minato and Menma continuously hurdled away from the attacks of the durable water dragons that continued to attack them while simultaneously dodging the attacks of the original Naruto. Minato knew the technique, hearing Kushina talk about it at one point, but Menma was absolutely amazed. "How do we defeat these!?" he yelled to his father from a distance.

Minato actually had no idea with that one. He had never even seen the jutsu in action until now. Jumping from one of the dragons, he leaned back, avoiding Naruto who came in with a flying spinning back kick. Before he could answer, he was falling towards the opened mouth of the other water dragon. Its red eyes pierced his own with an ominous intent. Minato could see its body coil down like a snake ready to attack. He couldn't feel his kunai anywhere which meant Menma must have a hold of it.

When the dragon lunged, he was sure that was it for him, but a chain wrapped around his abdomen and pulled him out of the path of the beast. Kushina pulled him and Menma back far enough that the dragons couldn't venture. The three of them watched as the original Naruto stood on the head of one of them staring out at them with his clone maintaining the jutsu. "There are two of them?" asked Ma from Menma's shoulder.

"Yeah, one's a clone." Menma said answering her.

Pa looked over to Kushina and Minato with a confused expression. "Why is it still alive? I can see it bleeding from here." He said looking at the clone Naruto's bleeding arm from when Kushina had pierced it.

"They're not normal clones Pa." Minato answered trying to catch his breath. "They're 'perfect clones' so the brain must die before they disperse." He said giving his analysis.

"Wow! What kind of technique is that!? That's amazing!" Ma said in astonishment. "They even share the same amount of chakra." She said a bit lower, still examining what she could from the two.

Minato was surprised by that. "They're chakra is even?" he asked in wonder. That had to be impossible. All clones only received a portion of the originals chakra, depending on how much chakra was used. With these being as sturdy as they were, it was unlikely that it would have as much chakra as the original, especially given how many he made.

"Yeah, and it's monstrous. Much like Kushina's." she said feeling it a bit more.

"Yeah, that's our son." She said, informing them a little more on the situation.

Pa and Ma shared a confused look before shrugging, they'd seen much stranger situations. Menma noticed how patiently Naruto was waiting. It was almost mocking how lax he was taking this entire battle. "Hey, anyone know how to end that Jutsu of his?" he asked in slight irritation.

"We have to disrupt the caster." Kushina said informing them. "The clone is maintaining it and we can't get close because of the nest." She said, trying to find a way to do it in her mind.

"Nest? What nest?" Menma asked.

Minato pointed over to the clone Naruto, more directly, the whirlpool in front of him. "It's an Uzumaki technique called the 'nest of the water dragons'. It's exactly as the name implies, a nest full of water dragons." He said astonishing the blonde.

"Wow, how does he even know something like this?" He asked in slight admiration.

Kushina shook her head. "I don't know. The scroll from Uzu didn't give much direction for it. That's why I never learned it… Naruto's a genius…" she admired.

Minato nodded. "Yeah, well." He said standing up. "We've got to force our way through that mess." He said going through hand signs. In a huge poof of smoke, Gamabunta appeared beneath them all. The giant toad quickly adjusted to the environment and stuck to the top of the water's surface.

" **Eh!? Minato! What the hell do you need!? It's raining out here!"** he yelled looking across at the hoard of water dragons.

"Sorry, Bunta." Minato said. "We need you to get us through that mess." He said showing respect to his summons.

" **Urgh."** The toad grumbled. **"Was that's all?"** he asked with a grimace.

"Yes, Bunta." Said a familiar voice that sent chills down the giant's spine. "That will be all."

The giant toad drew his sword. "U-Uh! Sure thing Ma! I didn't know you were here too!" he said with a bashful tone. "Right on it!" he yelled taking off full speed with the others clinging to his head with chakra.

Menma stepped up to his snout and got his attention. "Bunta! Give me some oil!" he yelled receiving a nod of confirmation. When they came within range, Bunta spewed out a stream of the black liquid that surrounded the group of dragons. Before the toad could jump away, a water dragon leaped from the water and caught his leg. He extended the appendage and sliced the neck off of the spiraling construct of water. When they were out of range, Menma spewed a ball of flames towards the edge of the darkened water.

The surface of the water and the dragons were quickly swallowed in flames. It was quickly doused by the rainwater however and Bunta rushed forward while the surface was clear of the water beasts. He skid to a halt before he ran into the whirlpool between him and the apparent target.

Looking down into it briefly, another group of water dragons burst from the nest, wrapping the toad up restricting his movement. "Menma!" Minato yelled looking down to the Kunai. Menma nodded and threw it as hard as he could towards the crouched blonde. Before it reached, it was swallowed by yet another one that then sunk back into the water. With a grimace, they were now completely out of Kunai.

Kushina was thinking of not only a way around them, but also on the fact that they lost sight of the original. Just as that thought crossed her mind, he landed behind her. She threw her arms up, somewhat blocking the punch that drove her back into Minato who spun around and caught her.

Setting her down, he rushed forward and engaged the redhead while Menma focused on getting to the clone. "Bunta!" he called out to the giant toad trying to free himself from the tightly coiled dragons. "Disperse!" he yelled. The giant toad wordlessly complied and disappeared in a huge cloud of smoke, leaving the others to freefall towards the water below.

Minato dipped into the water and quickly resurfaced before the now free water dragons shot towards him. Jumping around the beasts, he didn't notice Naruto until it was too late. He was very painfully kicked a ways away from the others.

Getting to his feet with a grimace at the pain, he picked his head up to look at Naruto who landed gracefully in front of him. Standing to his feet, he looked passed him at Kushina and Menma who were still trying to get to the clone. "Don't worry about them." Naruto said walking forward. "They'll be busy for a while."

Minato got into a fighting stance and readied himself. "Why haven't you killed us yet?" he asked him suddenly. Naruto rushed him and delivered the first strike that slipped passed his head. Minato tried to counter with a hook of his own, but Naruto blocked it with his elbow.

"What makes you so sure I could?" he asked him in curiosity, blocking the round house kick and kicking him in the stomach.

Picking himself up, Minato shrugged. "Just a hunch." He said spitting out the glob of blood in his mouth. Standing back to his feet, he rushed forward, ducking beneath the strike headed for his face. By coincidence, beneath his feet he saw his kunai. Sinking down, he grabbed it and shot back up behind the redhead. Naruto turned around as casual as ever.

Minato created a Rasengan and threw his kunai forward. Naruto rushed him and leaned his head out of the way of the kunai. When he did, he flipped up with his back to the water and hit his father beneath his armpit, killing his attack off instantly. Minato landed on the water's surface and stared down at his limp arm. He looked towards the other battle and noticed how he couldn't make out any of the figures or what all was happening. Ignoring it for now, he stood back to his feet and turned around, just in time before Naruto came in for a knee to his face.

He swiveled out of the way of the flying attack and countered with a kick of his own that was blocked with relative ease. His limp arm being useless for the moment, he was unable to block the kick coming to his face. It sent him skipping across the water like a flat stone. Getting back to his feet, he was kicked in the face and sent even further away. Through the rain, he could see a small island behind him. Shaking his head he turned around meeting yet another kick.

After the third defenseless attack, Naruto tilted his head and looked at the blonde man. He didn't seem as though he was trying anymore. He was just taking a beating at this point. He slowly walked towards him to see what he would do. Minato stood up and put his one good arm up into a lazy stance. His face didn't seem too tired, but he was breathing fairly heavily.

Naruto looked down at the arm he had disabled. Rushing forward, he jabbed him in the nose and grabbed the injured appendage while pushing Minato's face away. When he let him go, he kicked him back. Minato, finally able to see the ground, cut his chakra and sunk down. The water went up to his knees and no further. The fairly small island behind him. Stretching out, he noticed his arm was better. Did… did Naruto heal it?

Naruto was still looking at him in curiosity as he walked closer. Minato again put his hands up into a lazy stance. Naruto stopped in arms reach of him, his guard completely down. In a sudden and very unexpected moment, Naruto reached across and slapped him. Minato's eyes opened wide in confusion.

Minato corrected himself and threw a very sloppy punch his way, Naruto grabbed it with ease and jerked his hand up, snapping his arm at the forearm. Minato muffled his scream before he was kicked back, his back smacking painfully into a boulder behind him. He groaned as he slid down his back and sat on his butt. His left arm clutching the broken appendage in pure pain.

Naruto had not moved from his spot. He was just standing there staring at him. "… You wanted it to be done away from them…" Naruto said in an understanding tone stepping closer until he was right in front of him. Minato didn't respond, he just looked back at him. No understandable expression on his face. _"… Often when a warrior's life is at its end… he wishes to repent for his sins in whatever way he may see fit…_ And you believe by having me do it, you are cleansing your mistakes…"

Minato didn't have to say a thing. Naruto read him like a book. It was like he had the answers to his own unasked questions, and he understood them just from their fight. His breathing was still choppy and short, but he couldn't really feel the pain anymore.

"I don't know what you would like for me to tell you to get you to understand that I truly hold no animosity to you or Kaa-san… I understand everything that happened and I don't blame you." He said in a brief moment of sincerity.

Minato's eyes glossed over and he stared out into the distance, faintly being able to see the battle still raging on in the distance. The rain lit up in flashes of blue and red according to their attacks. He could very vaguely make out the figures of Kushina and Menma. "…I know…" he managed to get out amidst his still very choppy breathing. "… But I blame me… I blame me for all of it…" Naruto didn't respond, he opted to listen instead. "For everything wrong I've done in this life… forgetting you has been the one mistake that has plagued my mind for years… There wasn't one night that I didn't think about you Naruto… What I did to you…" he drawled off, his features contorting, signifying he was in tears. "It won't mean much… and I know it won't… but I am so… so proud of you Naruto! No matter what you have become… I will always be proud of you!" he proclaimed, letting his emotions flow freely.

Naruto listened, not sure what he was willing to call that feeling welling up inside of him. Squatting down, he stared at Minato who had his eyes shut, crying hysterically. Never before had he seen him like this. In his many years of being with the family, he had never seen him even shed a tear, yet this was raw emotion seeping from his being.

Seeing movement in his peripheral, Minato looked up to see Naruto's hand covering the mouth of his mask. Slowly, he pulled it from his face and tossed it into the muddied sand next to him. Minato's eyes watered even more. His shaky hand came up slowly and caressed the face of his first born child. Memories seeping through his mind in waves of unrelenting bombardments of regret.

* * *

"Ha-ha-ha! Tou-san! Let me go!" a giggling three yelled Naruto called out in joy, trying to pry the tickling hands of his father off of his form.

Minato made monster sounds while he unmercifully attacked the boy's sides. "Rrrgh! Oh no! He's gonna tickle him to death!" he yelled out in a comical voice. When Naruto finally slipped from his grasp, he took off running through their back yard, looking for his previously discarded weapon.

Minato gave chase on his knees, putting his hands out wide continuing with the sounds of the fictional monster he was trying to portray. Naruto giggled on his journey towards the little plastic sword laying discarded in the grass. Finally reaching it, he turned around and pointed it towards his father with an awful attempt at a serious face, for the giggles refused to leave him. "Get back monster!" he yelled with a chuckle, losing all bravado in his tone.

Minato played the part expertly, putting his hands up and slowly stepping back. "Oh, no… please. I won't ever tickle those people again." He said trying to suppress his own fit of laughter.

Naruto's next line cracked him up completely. "I know… because you already tickle them!" he exclaimed rushing forward with a giggle. Minato laughed at the horrible hero exclamation, fit with bad grammar, and fell to his back, catching the blonde boy as he jumped onto his stomach.

He rolled over a few times, tickling him along the way, before stopping with Naruto laying on his chest as if to pin him down. Neither of them were able to fully cut off their incessant laughter, finding the unestablished game to be just too funny. Minato looked down into Naruto's blue eyes in pure wonder. This was his son! Everything from the eyes to the face to the hair! It was like a carbon copy of what he looked like when he was younger, with the addition of whiskers of course, but this was his son. He couldn't believe it.

"Oh no…" a new voice said from the porch. The two looked up to see Kushina holding a piece of paper. She looked extremely shocked and a bit worried. Minato shifted the blonde boy off him gently before standing up.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked getting to her side trying to see what was on the paper. To his confusion it was blank. Naruto looked at the two before shoving a hand in his pocket and turning to go play by himself again.

Kushina just shook her head. "I… I don't know." She said. "It says here that the brave knight Naruto didn't actually beat up the wicked witch…" as soon as she said that, Naruto's head shot back over there in interest. "It says she's now an accomplice of the tickling tyrant and that they're both coming to get him!" she said as her and Minato gave chase to the once again uncontrollably laughing blonde boy.

* * *

All these years later… and this is that same face… A lot more tired, and a lot sadder… Minato rubbed his cheek, letting the tears fall freely. No filter for who was around to see him. "I'm so sorry Naruto…" he said. "I love you…"

Naruto didn't say a thing. He stared into the crying face of his father, memorizing the wear and tear that life had on such a seemingly happy individual. Goes to show that the saddest ones leave the least clues. With a heavy heart of sorrow and remorse for the man he still calls 'Tou-san'… he stabbed him in the stomach with his discarded tri-pronged kunai. Minato leaned forward and rested his bloodied chin on Naruto's shoulder. Still mouthing the words 'I love you', determined to say it for all those years he didn't. "… You too Tou-san… you too…" Naruto whispered, laying him back against the boulder.

He grabbed his mask and held it out in front of him, letting the rain wash off the mud clinging to its edges. He stared at the design on the front, remembering why he got it. ' _If the world would laugh at him, then he would laugh right back_ '... What was he supposed to do if it cried for him? Well, that was something new. He tilted his head back and shut his eyes, letting the rain wash off anything that made it onto his face by any unintentional means. Listening to the calming sounds of the thunder and rain, barely realizing that he could no longer hear the sounds of water dragons.

Turning around, he looked out to the water, not seeing any flashes or hearing any more explosions. Finally, through the beating rain, he could see his mother and brother running towards the island. Menma must have felt the loss of Minato's chakra signature through his sage mode.

Naruto smiled, mentally remarking on how much he's grown. Putting his mask on, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back and out of his face. "What'll you do now Menma?" he asked his question to the wind. Watching his brother and mother come into clear view.

"…Minato…" Kushina called out slowly, seeing his motionless form against the rock. Her brow furrowed, not yet believing the inevitable. She conjured a chakra chain and swiped it at Naruto, making him jump away. When he did, Menma and Kushina rushed the dead body.

"Tou-san… hey… Hey, tou-san!" he yelled slapping his face a few times. Kushina leaned in and put her ear to his heart, hoping to hear something. Desperately, she tried hitting his other side as if that were the way to jump start him again or something. "Tou-san… get up…" Menma said, his voice cracking.

This was definitely a sight to see had there been any onlookers. A Kage in tears. Yet, it happened twice today. Kushina had long since lost composure, yelling out her husband's name in hopes that he would hear her and somehow wake up.

Naruto watched from a distance, pondering his own feelings about the scenario, wondering why he wasn't affected. I mean, he still considered these people to be family, yet watching his father die, by his own hands no less, he felt nothing. As if he took the life of a complete stranger. Did that make him a monster? In a book he read one time, that's what the author said. 'A man that can harm his family and remain sane is a true monster'.

Well, maybe he wasn't sane. All this time, he accepted the title of psychopath, because that's what the world decided to label him as. But, he didn't truly think he was one. Not until now. He just took the life of his father, and felt absolutely nothing from it. That had to mean something.

Ino once told him that he was just a man that enjoyed walking with the insane. A man who could hear the whispers of the demented and decode the babbling of the schizophrenics. Was that supposed to be a good thing?

Whatever it was meant to be, it clearly didn't sit right with the blonde Kage who was now pacing towards him with his head down. "Why…" Menma asked, clear anger lacing his hollow voice. Even knowing this was a possible outcome, he never thought… "How could you… kill your own father?"

Naruto was tearing himself apart with that question as well. Regardless, it was necessary. "Well, it's just like killing anyone else… He bleeds all the same." He replied with a snarky comment.

"You… Bastard!" Menma yelled out, clenching his hands shut tightly.

Naruto watched him, knowing full well what he had coming his way. "You're too naïve Menma…" he called out casually. "All that power you have… and yet you're so weak… you know why that is don't you?" he asked, not receiving an answer. "You're too good… Too noble and too kind."

Menma didn't seem interested in hearing anything Naruto said as he dropped to his knees, digging his hands in the mud.

"As I've been saying all day… you and your people have placed you on this pedestal of some sort of omnipotent god. But, there is a reason god and human are two different words. For, it's hard for a god to be omnipotent with useless traits such as kindness and nobility. Humanities ideals clash too much for a kind god to answer all prayers."

Menma still had yet to move, remaining hunched down in the sand.

"So, I'll say it once more… you're no god… You're just a human." As soon as that left his mouth, his mask was completely shattered by the red eyed Menma whose features became a lot more feral.

Naruto flipped back until he smacked into a set of trees that completely racked his body with pain. With a grunt of effort, he made it back to his feet. As soon as he did, Menma was already on him. Naruto decided being out in open water would be about the worst thing at the moment when dealing with a tailed beast. So, instead, he charged into the cover of the trees, ducking and dodging the attacks of his animalistic brother.

Swinging from a tree, he was tackled out of the air and into the ground. Sticking his arm up, he tried to block the right slash at his face, but the force of the hit itself threw him off to the side. As soon as he stood up, he leaned out of the way, avoiding the flying kick that uprooted the small tree next to him. Menma spun around and continued to attack him with nothing but anger fueling the flames of his hatred at the moment.

Naruto was hard pressed trying to dodge all of his attacks, but he miraculously succeeded to some extent. Until he was finally able to open Menma's guard to deliver his own strike. His fist connected with Menma's cheek, breaking his own wrist with the contact. Caught in the shock, he was kicked back and partially through the tree behind him. While time permitted, he healed his injured wrist while dodging the various attacks from around him. The rain was impeding a lot of his senses leaving him blind within the volley of trees.

Dropping down quickly, he created a regular shadow clone before taking off, avoiding Menma's next strike. He had a plan, but he needed to buy some time. From there, he did just that, escaping Menma's attacks while keeping him away from his clone. Menma was too far gone to even recognize as an orange hue of bubbling chakra covered his body with a tail sprouting from his back side. Naruto sighed, feeling a bit exhausted at this point.

 **AN: There we go. Guys, we are sooo close to the end, I can almost taste it! Although, I am sure the next chapter will be the finale, I am not one hundred percent. I'm honestly hoping it is so that I can work on my newer story full time. That one, I will be writing to completion and then uploading in a sort of series format, maybe like once per day. But, yeah! Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Welcome! Yes, this is the final chapter of the story. I am not sure how great it is conclusion wise, but I feel like it's alright, so I hope you guys enjoy. If you liked this story, I can promise you the next one will be better as I am already five chapters deep in writing it. Thank you so much for reading my first fanfic and I hope you stick around for my future stories, if not I understand. Thank you again, and please enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **I Read It In A Book: Chapter 17: Finale**

Jumping away, Naruto avoided the extended hue of an orange claw that completely uprooted the tree he was hiding behind. Rolling forward, he laid out flat, avoiding the next strike. Quickly, he jumped up before the claw crushed the ground beneath him. While in the air, there was nothing keeping him from harm's way. Menma's fist of chakra punched him full force, throwing him through the heavy foliage, breaking more than just trees on the way.

When he finally stopped, he picked his head up meeting the top of Menma's foot. His body was sent flying again. Only stopping when his back impacted the boulder behind him. Before his body even began falling, he was pressed into the wall of stone when Menma came flying in at incredible speeds. He grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt and yanked him from the rock, ripping it before he threw him towards the ground. Naruto was still sent tumbling across the muddied floor for a few feet, coating his now bare chest in filth.

With a groan of apparent pain, he made it back to his feet. Spitting out the blood, he got into a fighting stance. Menma was crouched down a few feet away from him, ready to pounce. With a burst that kicked up the mud behind him, he ran on all fours, striking Naruto with a wild slash. Naruto leaned out the way and punched him in his side. Menma ignored the hit and brought the same arm back, trying to catch him with an elbow.

Naruto leaned out the way of the strike and gave him two quick jabs to his abdomen. Menma took the hits and went to slash at him again. Before he did, Naruto spun around and kicked him in the throat, silencing the roar. Ignoring the attack once again, Menma followed through and hit Naruto across the face. Naruto fell to the ground but quickly found his feet. Dodging Menma's next few slashes, he kicked off of the tree next to him and clotheslined the Kage until they both hit the ground.

Menma seemed to anger at the maneuver and righted himself as quickly as he could. Naruto did as well and rushed forward. Menma rushed as well and tackled him back down to the ground, pinning him down. Raising his clawed hand, he brought it down, driving straight through his chest. Naruto dispersed in a cloud of smoke before the real one popped out of the ground and kicked Menma forward.

Menma rolled until he was back on his feet. Turning to the redhead, he roared before he sunk deeper into his crouch. Naruto watched casually from a distance as Menma's skin began peel off, revealing some sort of dark red chakra construct beneath his skin. When it was all gone, there was just a figure of deep red chakra with white eyes that just seemed to squint at him. Four tails waved behind him.

Naruto did not seem deterred. He sunk into his stance once again and rushed forward when the beast did. To his surprise he couldn't track him. He was just too fast now. On pure instinct, he slid down, causing Menma to fly over the top of him, slamming into a tree. Now within close proximity, he rushed forward before he recovered. Throwing a punch, his fist burned against the skinless creature.

Shaking it out, he back pedaled and went through hand signs. Filling his lungs, he shot out small fireballs towards the beast that just continuously dodged with relative ease. Jumping up, he used the branches to propel himself higher and higher. At the top branch, he kicked back and away from it, dodging the black ball that was heading his way. In his descent, he stared up, mesmerized by the explosion that lit the sky and momentarily stopped the rain.

Finished with his amazement at the power of the Kyubi, he flipped back around so that he would land right, but he saw Menma get right underneath him. Thinking quickly, he made another shadow clone and had it throw him back towards the tree. He stuck to it with his chakra and watched as Menma clung to it as well and began running up its side.

Cutting his chakra, he began falling towards the figure he couldn't identify properly as his brother. Opening his palm, he formed a Rasengan that quickly developed a small white blade of wind, with it a screeching sound. Menma was too far gone to even recognize what attacks were dangerous or not. He was acting out of pure rage. Naruto drove his arm forward when Menma was in range.

The wind augmented Rasengan plunged into Menma's chest, inciting a roar of pain from the monster. He was thrown to the ground painfully but got to his feet almost immediately. Naruto righted himself after the attack and clung to the side of the tree. He stared down at the beast that was already running back up. Going through hand signs, he held his palm out. As the most useful attack all day due to the conditions, a water dragon formed from the surrounding water and rushed forward.

Menma roared and slashed his claw at the head of the beast. It did disperse it, but the influx of water crashing down on him caused him to momentarily take his eyes off of his opponent. Naruto came down and planted both feet into the face of the beast, shooting them both towards the ground. Menma righted himself quickly and grabbed onto Naruto's foot before he could recover. He spun around violently before releasing the redhead, flinging him through multiple trees.

Grimacing, he stood back to his feet and dodged the lunging Menma. Figuring he could not just remain on the defensive, he rushed forward creating a hoard of regular shadow clones that lunged at the chakra shrouded Kage. The beast slashed and clawed at them, not knowing which once was real. They all dispersed in clouds of white, blinding his vision before the next attack came.

The real Naruto mingled among the group, holding back and wondering where that other clone was. Seeing Menma mowing down clone after clone, he looked around, trying to think up some kind of plan. With nothing around to use, he resigned to the inevitability of having to deal with this head on. With a shrug and a chuckle at the situation, he rushed forward along with the clones. The group threw everything they could at the chakra construct until there was eventually only five clones remaining along with Naruto himself.

They all stood around the bestial creature in their stances. Menma was crouched down with his claws dug into the mud in anticipation. With a roar, he rushed forward, slashing at one that dispersed in a cloud. Spinning around, he met the ball of flames head on, only shielding his eyes before roaring towards the one who attacked. He rushed forward and destroyed that one as well.

The ground beneath him, while mud itself, became much more liquefied and he began sinking in, clawing at the sides and roaring out in anger on his way down. Just before his head was completely submerged, he filled his lungs and let out a completely deafening scream that pushed the mud back around him, allowing him to jump out.

When he did, he located the very first Naruto he saw and ran towards him. That one dispersed just as easily before he was assaulted by a dragon made purely of mud that shot towards him and threw him back. With a roar, he got back to his crouching position and quickly disposed of two more clones before locking his eyes on another. Rushing forward, he hit this one in the stomach throwing it back. Seeing that it didn't disperse, the beast knew it was the real one. Rushing forward, it hit the tree out of the way before continuing the chase.

Naruto jumped from tree to tree, avoiding the red chakra hue as best he could. When the branch he was about to land on broke, he dropped down to the ground and slammed his hands on the floor. Instantly, a mud wall shot up. Menma was undeterred as he ran forward and smashed through it. When he did, he lost sight of the target. Naruto made his presence known when he hopped down and gave him a brutal axe kick to the back of his head.

True to its animalistic ways, the beast shook the hit off and grabbed at Naruto's leg and flung him through the remaining bits of the wall. Before he could get to his feet, he was grabbed again and thrown further through the woods. Naruto landed on his back and stared straight up into the sky. His head was in a daze and he found himself thinking about what time it must be. It was definitely nearing sundown…

Finally gaining his senses, he stood back up to see Menma stocking towards him. His entire body was in pain, but he got into his stance nonetheless. Menma roared again and ran forward. Naruto rolled back and kicked the beast over his head. Menma smacked into a tree but quickly got back up. He rushed Naruto again. Naruto gently leaned out of the way of the strike, sending the rage filled creature stumbling passed him.

When Menma turned around, there was some kind of look of animosity within those eyes of white that bubbled uncontrollably. Naruto was unaffected, he just remained in his stance. Menma roared and crouched down. Opening his mouth, Naruto could see chakra visibly pooling in front of him. He realized this was the technique from earlier. Getting ready to try and end the technique early, he sighed in relief seeing movement behind the beast.

Menma was seconds away from swallowing the ball of condensed chakra before the red chakra around him completely dispersed and the ball disappeared along with it. Menma's very injured body fell flat into the mud. His eyes and mouth wide opened in a shocked expression. Naruto sat back on his butt looking across at the clone behind him. He nodded to him and the clone dispersed, shooting its memories back to him. The seal he slapped on his back would block all contact with the beast for the next twenty-four hours. The reason it took so long was because he had to create it to where the seal would seep into Menma's skin.

Regardless, the clone got it done. Naruto stood to his feet very painfully. He dropped to his knees next to Menma and rolled him onto his back. His hands glowed green and he placed them over his chest. His breathing was very heavy as he spoke. "Oh no Hokage… we're not done yet." He said continuing on.

Slowly but surely, the red color of Menma's skin began to retreat. His face settled into a grimace at the pain he was feeling. When Naruto had finally healed him enough, he stepped back, letting the rain wake him up. Menma's eyes opened briefly before he shut them and put his forearm over them to protect from the onslaught of water droplets. Rolling over, he got to his butt and looked around.

Finally remembering what happened before he had lost it, he looked over to see Naruto leaning against a tree, trying to heal himself. With a painful groan, he tried to stand before ultimately failing. "… Why didn't you kill me?" he asked him with his voice straining in obvious pain.

Naruto just stared at the blonde with uninterested eyes. "… Had that been my goal, I would have." He said casually in that cryptic tone that Menma despised.

Shaking his head in anger and disbelief, he stared right back at him. "Then what the fuck is your goal?" he asked with a sharp edge to his voice. "Huh? Because, it doesn't seem to be making any god damned sense from over here!"

Naruto spit out the blood resting in his mouth. "My goal is to get you to understand."

"Oh, don't give me that shit!" Menma quickly replied. "What the fuck is this all for? To prove that you're better than me!? Huh? Is that it!?"

Naruto just stared at him, giving him a confused look as if he had said something strange.

"You want to show everyone how far you could get on your own, so you do all this!? Killing a Kage!? Attacking villages!? Killing your own fa-… Killing my father?"

Still, Naruto remained quiet. Staring at him as if he were a piece of art that he simply couldn't understand. As if he had a philosophical brain teaser plastered on his forehead that he just couldn't figure out.

"Do you even know what you've done? Or are you too fucking psychotic to even understand that?" Receiving no answer yet again, Menma's anger was boiling over. "Do you even fucking care!?"

Naruto turned and put his back to the tree. He stared at the ground in front of him. For a second, Menma thought he was actually feeling a bit of remorse. But, only for a second. Slowly, a smile began to creep its way onto his face. With a chuckle, his mouth opened. "Heh-.. Heh-heh!" he chuckled more. "Heh-heh-hahaha!" he began laughing. "Ha-Ha-Ha!" he bellowed out in uncontrollable laughter, lifting his head up and laughing into the sky.

Menma watched him with an angry scowl on his face. For the first time ever, he had absolutely no doubt in his mind that Naruto had lost it. He had completely and utterly lost it. He couldn't even get a word in until Naruto's laughter finally died out. "What the hell is so funny about all of this?"

Naruto's chuckles were still present, finding whatever he was laughing at just a bit too funny. When he finally contained his laughter to a degree, he answered him. "Heh-heh. I was just thinking. This would make for a great book." He said in a completely serious tone.

Menma shook his head at him. "You're a diseased maniac. Completely insane."

Naruto smiled at him. "Oh, but I'm not." He said stepping away from the tree, somewhat painfully. "No, I'm actually, if you'd believe me, completely sane… In fact, I'm much more sane than most."

Menma chuckled at that, jokingly of course. "Ha! That's the dumbest thing you've said all day. And believe me, there's a list."

Smiling at the witty statement, Naruto continued. "No, really." He said. "I am… In fact, I'd dare venture into saying that… you're the crazy one."

Menma shook his head with a grin. This was a new level of deranged he had never seen. "Oh really?" he asked with a condescending tone. "I'm the one who's quite possibly plunged the world into its fourth great war for absolutely no reason?"

Naruto tilted his head from right to left. "Well, no. But on the same note, neither have I." he said pissing him off even more. "When you say, 'for absolutely no reason', that is a personal viewpoint. Simply because your naïve little mind can't comprehend the reasoning, doesn't mean there is none."

"And you just think you're so fucking brilliant huh?" he asked in a childish way that made Naruto grin.

"Brilliant when in regards to the situation, sure. That was not meant to demean your intelligence Menma. Your naivety has become your greatest weakness which is why you refused to believe my warning."

"Because your warning is misguided…" he replied immediately, showing how sure he was in what he was saying. "The people of Konoha are good people… showing distrust to someone is what drives a wedge through the bond we all share and I know your game plans." He said as if he were right on the money. Naruto just looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "Knowing you, it's probably some kind of scheme to make us drive ourselves apart… and I won't fall for it."

Naruto shrugged. "In time you will know. In fact, it may be sooner than you think with the coming war about to spring to life." He said.

"Those wars have nothing to do with Konoha… we will not attack unless we are attacked and I will let the other villages know that we are remaining neutral." He stated. "If I try, I'm sure I could get through to the Kazekage before he does something reckless…" he said lowly to himself.

Naruto just shook his head. "You're foolish Menma.. and your people will pay for it." He said in disappointment. "When I began this venture… I was so sure that you were but a bystander in this cycle they created… a mere ignorant pawn that was unaware of his actions, but now I understand that you are the worst of them all."

"The worst of who?" he asked, not being on the same page as him.

"The worst of these peace keepers… you're so much more than naïve and ignorant… No, you're a true believer in this theory of order you possess. One that **they** created… You believe you rule the people with compassion.. and cooperation, when really.. you rule them with fear and tyranny." He explained.

"I rule the village with only compassion!" he tried to defend himself.

Naruto sighed. "Not **those** people Menma." He said rubbing at his head. "I mean the rest of them. The other villages… the criminals outside of your walls… the individuals who would much rather see the village fall. Whether you've noticed or not, they all bend to your will. The will of the Hokage. You rule those people through fear of power that isn't even yours alone. They fear the prowess of the people under your command, but god… if they only knew how divided they truly are."

"I do not rule those people… I… I defend the village from them.. by any means necessary…"

"Wrong again." Naruto chided. "No, you only believe you do. The problems resides in the fact that there are four more individuals who believe they do the same.. Well… three others." He said with a grin. "This world has become nothing more than a constant struggle of power. There is no life in a world such as this. Life no longer exists. There is only existence itself and its being wasted on people who would rather kill each other over the things they don't have instead of enjoying the things they do."

"For someone who hates the world, you seem to love life so much." Menma chided.

Naruto chuckled. "No-no-no. I would much rather die than remain in a world such as this. Believe that if nothing else." He said.

Menma stared at him, judging the weight of his words. "Why would you rather die than see this vision of yours come to life?" he asked him, truly confused by his brothers motives.

"It's simple Menma… this world is not for me." He said running a hand through his hair. "I don't mean that in a spiteful way, I mean it in a literal sense… I…" he looked around, unable to find the words. "I'm a night with no day… a ah… an antagonist with no true opponent…"

Menma was completely confused now. He had no idea what he meant.

"Bored, Menma." Naruto said, seeing the confusion play out on his face. "I have become bored with this dull existence… excitement ended for me many years ago… Had I the chance, I would have ended myself a long time ago. Sadly for you, I was prevented from doing so and instead had time to think over the direction this world is taking. I decided to intervene on the cusp that this world may someday become complete again. I don't have to see it for it to do so."

"So you're content with not even living to see it?" Menma asked incredulously. "What if it doesn't happen?" he asked him.

Naruto smirked. "Regardless if it does or not… I have started something… something new… something much more lasting." He said as he picked up the remaining half of his shattered mask that was conveniently nearby. "This mask here Menma… this means something… There is a reason I never named it, for it will have many names in the years to come." He said with a smile. "This served a greater purpose than simply covering my face. No… this mask is something greater… it is nothing more than an idea that order is deadly. The next wearer may have a different agenda, but their purpose will always remain the same… upset the established order"*wink*

Menma, finally found the strength to get to his feet. His legs were wobbly beneath him, but looking across the way, Naruto wasn't all there either. "Just like I'm here to stop you… someone else will do the same… because regardless of what you believe, there are good people and there will _always_.. be good people." He said getting into a stance.

With his breathing still slightly faster than usual, Naruto stepped forward. "Believe what you will Menma. Or believe the truth." he said rushing forward as fast as he could. Menma rushed as well and ducked beneath Naruto's wild haymaker. He tried to counter with a right hook, but Naruto caught his fist and used his arm to flip him over. Menma landed on his feet and ducked beneath the kick aimed for his head. Backing up, he avoided the follow up that slid passed him. Acting quickly, he flew in and threw a punch to Naruto's unprotected face that actually landed.

He tried to follow up, but his next punch was dodged and he was kicked in the knee, dropping him down. Before he could recover, Naruto spun around and kicked him directly in the face, sending him flying back. Menma got back up before Naruto reached him. In a moment of desperation, he tried to tackle him, but as soon as he came within range, Naruto kneed him in the face. His head snapped back painfully and he clinched his eyes shut.

Naruto let him recover, standing back and watching him. Menma took the opportunity and shook the dizziness from his head. Blinking a few times, he groaned and rushed again. Naruto dodged his two brawler style punches and jabbed him twice in the stomach. Menma hunched over and used his forearms to block the knee that came up. He recovered and feigned a right hook expertly, setting up for the back kick he landed.

Naruto was thrown to the ground and before he could get up, Menma mounted him and began beating him repeatedly. Naruto seemed to let it happen as he just put his hands out to the side. The hits grew harder and harder as Menma tried to finish the fight right now. Before the next hit could land, Naruto swung forward, hitting Menma at the bottom of his clenched fist, hurting his fingers. Menma's lapse in focus allowed Naruto to hit him in the throat before delivering a head butt.

Menma fell back and off of the redhead. Naruto got to his feet and kicked Menma back down before he could get up. He walked around to the front of him and grabbed his hair. He yanked him up to his feet and delivered a volley of punches into his mid-section. Menma once again hunched over in pain. With his head down, Naruto summersaulted and brought the back of his foot down to the back of Menma's head, slamming him into the floor.

They both laid there in the mud. Naruto looking up to the still raining sky, and Menma with his face in the brown slush below. Naruto took a few breathes before he rolled over painfully. Surprisingly, Menma made it to his feet just as he did. Naruto groaned and hit him in the gut. Menma took the hit and socked him across the jaw. Naruto came back and returned the favor. Menma roared in anger and swung two hits at him that both missed. He felt Naruto sink down and poke his legs, but he didn't feel it until he tried to step forward.

Both of his legs gave out and he hit his knees in confusion. While on his knees, he tried for a desperate swing, but Naruto dodged it and quickly jabbed at two specific points on his arm. The appendage fell limp to his side. He groaned and hesitantly lifted the other fist. With absolutely no confidence to speak of, he threw it forward lazily. Naruto grabbed his wrist and kneed the back of his elbow breaking the appendage.

"All I ever wanted was for you to understand…" he said staring at his downed form. Menma just stared at the ground in front of him, accepting defeat. "… That's what this was about… pulling you from the ignorance you were living in…"

Menma rolled his head back. "Maybe I preferred it that way…" he muttered out.

Naruto chuckled. "Heh… of course you did… but, change was coming regardless... They would have waited for Tou-san and perhaps Kakashi to die off before they made their move…" He said, still speaking about this so called revolution.

"You don't get it…" Menma said, almost laughing at the irony. "heh… heh… As smart as you are.. and you can't figure it out…" Naruto just waited, wondering what it was he was talking about. "Konoha… is a nation built on trust… we are built on family.. companionship… We are not built on this.. s-struggle for power like you say we are… The Uchiha clan? They've always been close friends to our family… The words of a traitor will not change the way I view them… especially given his track record…"

Naruto shook his head. "Menma… I could not get you to understand… You're too strong willed for such a thing… for a long time… I had thought I shared the likeness to that character.. in Jiraiya's book… just because we shared the same name… I thought the book was describing me… In truth, it's you…" he muttered out between his pain stricken breathes. "You have faith in your people… I am telling you now Menma… that faith is misplaced and if you're not careful… those.. civilized people of yours… they'll eat each other."*wink*

Menma just shook his head and smiled at him. "No… Naruto… I'm sorry I couldn't get _you_ to understand… You've been living your entire life… with a distain for people… then, meeting Itachi was like a breath of fresh air to you. Then.. when he was taken away, it was like someone ripped that air right out of your body…"

Naruto looked at him in confusion. "Touching, but wrong." He said with a small chuckle. "No… when he was taken away… it was like giving sight to the blind… I began to see the world for what it was. I began to view everything the way it was meant to be… not the way they said it is." He said, once again infuriating Menma with that cryptically difficult dialect. "I received one eye that day, and.. ' _In a Kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is King'_ …" He let that statement hang in the air for a few seconds, clutching at his sides. Everything within him was possibly broken at this point.

Menma remained silent, his mind trying to tell him whether he should believe him or not. There was no solid answer in his heart that he could lean to. If he were to believe this, he would be incriminating Sasuke… his best friend and newly made brother in law… what would Mito think… where would she stand if this whole thing actually came to fruition? He looked up to the eyes of his brother and for some reason, believed him whole heartedly… it was only when he looked away did he doubt his words.

"The people of today… they're weak." He said suddenly. "Thousands of shinobi within each of the villages… thousands." He said, accenting it when he said it the second time. "-and look what I could do with just a few hundred men and a paper bomb… There were many things I could've done… I could have taken each village's most beloved person and executed them with another nation's headband on… I could have disrupted the order of the mission income. That seems to do it… All those are great and all for starting a war… but that's not what I did." He said. "No… I proved a point… Even the individuals tasked with the lives of thousands are no different than me… a series of bad events.. and they're at the doorstep of madness… So.. when you call me a freak… or a psychopath… or whatever else you want… I urge you to look across that battle field at your fellow Kage. Watch that madness play out within their eyes and tell me how wrong I am…"

Menma sat back on his heels and stared up at the sky. Naruto's true intentions were just unveiled. Over all of the crap they were told, he knew that this was real. That was his plan all along. To prove the point that everyone was just like him. He wasn't trying to prove that point to anyone else but himself. Now, Menma understood. This whole ploy, this entire game was just a way to prove his own sanity before he died.

"You're right." Menma said with exhaustion lacing his tone. Naruto stared at him, clutching at his aching body, no chakra left to heal himself. "You're not insane…" Menma said, seemingly understanding. "Everyone has been telling you that… possibly since Itachi died… but, you're not… given the circumstances… I would have done the same thing." He said staring out through the trees.

Naruto chuckled and stepped closer to him. Menma shut his eyes, believing this to be the end. Then, in a moment of déjà vu, Naruto rubbed his head. "There you go buddy… Now you got it." With that said, Naruto walked by him, heading out of the foliage of trees.

Menma remained in his spot, not that he could move much anyways. Those words, he remembered them so clearly. Years ago.

* * *

Sitting on the couch in between Naruto's legs, Menma stared at the pictures on the page of the book in front of him. Mito was leaning on Naruto's shoulder looking as well. "Then, when all seemed lost. The prince came flying back in, using his shield to block the dragon's furious fire breath." Naruto read. Menma smiled in excitement. "The princess thanked him and asked for his sword. When he gave it to her, they waited for the dragon's fire breath to run out before they attacked. The prince let the princess get on top of his shield and he threw her up towards the monster. With a strike of her mighty sword, she cut his head off!" Naruto said triumphantly, receiving dual shouts of amazement from the two four year olds.

"Yeah! That was so cool Nii-san!" Menma said turning around to look him in the eyes. Naruto smiled at him and nodded his head.

"The princess was the best!" said Mito with pride. "She killed the dragon."

Of course, Menma protested. "Nuh-uh! She only killed him because the prince let her!" he yelled in the defense of his favorite character.

Naruto smiled at the ridiculous argument, but let them fight it out for the time being as he found a new book to read. It was a much more difficult book with words that Naruto himself probably shouldn't know at this age. Sometime soon, Menma snuck up next to him to see what he was reading.

His eyes locked onto the title written in bold letters at the top of every page. "Conn-vvoo- lou-tead W- are?" he asked trying to sound it out.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "It says Convoluted War Menma." He corrected him. Menma opened his mouth in a silent 'Oh' and a nod.

"…What does that mean?" he asked suddenly.

Naruto brought the book down to think about that. He knew what it meant, he just didn't know how to explain it. "It means… difficult to understand… intricate.. I guess." He said realizing he used an even more difficult word to explain it.

"Well… what does that mean?" Menma asked, noticing this as well.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed his head in thought. "It means uh… it means the same thing Menma." He said with a shake of his head. "Hard to understand."

"Like… using big words." He said, giving a rudimentary definition of it.

Naruto was actually impressed. He sort of got it. "Yeah…" he said staring at him in surprise. He messed his hair up. "There you go buddy, you got it." He said hearing his mom call them for dinner. Menma smiled and ran off, yelling to his mom that he learned a new word. Naruto shook his head and put the book away.

* * *

Standing at the edge of a cliff, Naruto gazed out to the sea. It looked so beautiful right now. It resembled exactly what he was fighting for. The chaos of the waves finding unison among the ocean's surface. No one forcing it to be something it was not, no one commanding it… It was free…

Hearing footsteps charging towards him, he assumed them to belong to his mother. Turning his head slightly, he was right as he watched her charge him with a sword in hand, ready to end his life. He smiled softly and shut his eyes. Turning back towards the sea, he awaited the blade patiently. Each footstep like a timer, counting down the inevitable. He found delight in this moment. Almost peaceful for a few more seconds before the end of his short lived life. His existence was so much smaller than he hoped it would be, but such is life.

The footsteps were just behind him now, still charging with conviction and sorrow leaking from the source. Just as the last footstep ended behind him, so did everything else. Naruto opened his eyes, realizing he was not impaled or decapitated yet. Over the rain, he could hear what sounded like snickering. Peeking back slowly, he saw the top of his mother's head, hiding her eyes from his view. What's more, he saw the blade in her hands, trembling as it pointed towards his back. It became obvious that she wasn't snickering to muffle a laugh…

Turning around completely, he stared at the woman as her body quaked in a mix of sadness and regret. He gazed at her, remarking within his mind how fragile she seemed in this moment. There was a time when she was without a doubt the strongest woman he knew. Now what was she? A victim to the clutches of pain. Nothing more than a bag of flesh and bone, compacted within the hell that is human emotions.

"…Even after everything I've done… you hesitate…" he said in pure confusion. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but he expected to die in that moment. He fully expected to die by his mother's hands. He kidnapped her granddaughter and murdered her husband. What more could he do to warrant hatred on an unparalleled scale?

Kushina's face refused to look up and it was like some supernatural force was pushing her arms back, keeping her from thrusting the sword forward. Tears leaked from her vehemently crying visage. Her entire body shook and she couldn't make it stop. "I ca-… I c…" she couldn't even choke out her words. They refused to leave her mouth.

Naruto watched the conflict within her heart play out. Faced with vengeance or redemption, her heart refused to tell her what to do. Such was the struggle of life.

"I-haha!" she yelled out in a cry that was so heartbreaking it sounded like a laugh. "I c-Can't… do it!" she yelled out finally. "I can't do-…" she said, opening her mouth in a silent scream. The sword was still pointing at his bare chest as he stared down at her. Her words wouldn't be heard for a long while. Her tears wouldn't allow her the option to speak.

She clenched her eyes so tightly, praying that when she finally opened them, this would be all over and she'd be sitting at the dinner table with her entire family, including Naruto. She and Minato would serve the plates and listen to Mito and Menma arguing while Naruto read his book aloud to the grandchildren who would listen intently. That's all she wanted out of life. Was she selfish for wanting something so beautiful?

Before she knew it, she could feel her sword shake, as if someone were grabbing it. It wiggled and pushed back against her slightly. Her eyes remained clenched and her body continued to tremble beyond her control. The rain beat down on her with a vengeance, but for some reason she couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything but a soft thud. It was a really soft thud. Resounding rhythmically. 'bum-bum… bum-bum'

Opening her eyes slightly, she saw nothing more than the blade… piercing the bare chest of her son. His right hand wrapped tightly around the bottom end of it, ignoring the way it was sawing into his hand. Her forehead was resting just above where his heart would be. The tears continued, even increasing in its intensity as she held onto the hilt of the blade.

Slowly, his other hand came into view and covered her hands gently. He softly removed her hands from the blade, leaving it jammed within his body. He took a timid step back as if testing the waters. Then, he took a few more. Kushina was shell shocked as she stared at him backing towards the edge. Her eyes met his and in a flicker of something, she noticed how much more like his old self they looked. Maybe it was the true smile he was sending her way.

She wanted nothing more than to reach out right now and grab him. Tell him everything would be ok by tomorrow. Promise him that nothing bad would ever happen to him, and that she would always be there for him. How ridiculous would that be…

Naruto smiled once more to her, steadily retreating as he held onto the swords blade. "Goodbye… Kaa-san…" he said slowly. Just like that, he fell back. Kushina lost sight of him when he disappeared among the edge of the cliff. That would be the last time she heard him call her that, even though she lost the right to such a title many years before.

Kushina dropped to her knees and covered her mouth before the scream that rested at the back of her throat was released with the air she took in. She lost him twice, this time for good. Why did it hurt so much more the second time around?

Before she knew it, Menma was holding her in a comforting hug from behind, guessing what happened by the blood running down with the rain. He shut his eyes and mourned the loss of his brother. A man who lived his life in the shadows of his own mind and spent half his life being called insane.

Even after all this, he still loved him… Truly shows the obscurity of human emotions and how tightly bound they are. That was his brother… and he would never see him again. What's worse, he couldn't even decide how he wanted to remember him. As he was back when he was living in ignorance… or how he truly was? Regardless, he still had family to care for. Getting his mother to her feet, they walked off. The rain covering the tracks of their tears. When they made it to the shore line, there was a boat Menma hadn't noticed before, waiting for them. He questioned where it came from but took it none the less.

* * *

Naruto stared up to the surface of the water as he sunk deeper and deeper. The water even looked beautiful from down here… it was just a lot darker. He could hear nothing but the trembling of the water as the rain beat down on top of it. His entire life began to flash before his eyes. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was a taste of life and the feeling of death which he has experienced time and time again. This would be the last time for a long while.

His pain was no more… his struggles were gone and he did exactly what he set out to do. He tossed a stone into the calm surface of the pond they were living in. That first stone would in time incite others to do the same until the world settled back in to what it was meant to be. A world of freedom. A world of fairness. A world of chaos. Slowly, his vision began to blur. His eyes began to flutter shut and he could feel his end. The world was so beautiful… and he couldn't wait to see it once more.

His eyes opened again, he was now standing back on the cliff, watching the boat his mother and brother left on as it drifted away in the boat he placed there just a few moments ago. His mask back in place and unscathed. He smiled when the memories of what happened rushed back to him. As emotionless as he seems to be, his clones definitely take on a mind of their own. Even knowing what they are, they tend to get emotional towards the end of their life.

He watched his two family members leave, praying they heard his words. The world he sought would spell bad news for them if they didn't, but he knew that regardless of anything he said, Menma heard him. He had a family to care for. Whether he believed him completely or not, that uneasiness was placed within his heart. The roots of rebellion were deeply woven within Konoha's core. When the world was tossed into war once more, Menma would be ready. He had faith in him.

As he stood there in the rain, staring out to the blur of the distance, no longer able to see the boat. A slender hand snaked its way onto his shoulder. Ino, with her mask resting on the top of her head, leaned her temple onto his shoulder as they stared out to the sea together. "You know, you really should have put more chakra into my clone." She said with a smile.

Naruto chuckled and removed his own. "Ah, I think you did fine with the amount you had." He said pecking her lips.

She gave him an unconvinced smile and shook her head. "Yeah. Ok." She mocked slyly.

Naruto just shrugged at her unconvinced demeanor. "Well, Dr. Yamanaka." He said turning her and placing his hands on her hips. Ino smiled and wrapped hers around the back of his neck. "I've got a bear skinned rug date waitin' for us wherever we go." He said making her smile. "Just say where and we can spend the rest of our lives watching this madness unfold."

Ino looked around in thought before she just shrugged. "Let's just get in the boat and drift away… wherever we land is where we stay." She said.

"Dangerous, poetic, and reckless, but I love it." He said leaning forward and pecking her lips gently. "Let's go lose our minds." He said receiving a giggle from her.

"One more thing mister." She said taking his mask from the top of his head. She took hers off too and used a piece of ninja wire to tie them off through the eye holes. "For the next psychopaths who happen to find love." She said kissing the forehead of Naruto's. She then tossed them to the ocean, allowing them to drift away with the waves. Leaving the next wearers up to the direction of destiny.

* * *

(1 year later)

True to his plan, the world fell apart. When the remaining Kage returned to their villages, they found them already reminiscent of war zones. Apparently they had been attacked by unmarked shinobi and a few rogues. It was unexpected and left them all crippled. This did not deter the Kage from taking the actions they sought to term. It only forced their hand even more.

The first to attack was Kumo who went for the one nation unscathed throughout the whole ordeal, Kiri. While they fought, Suna went for Iwa, who in turn went for Konoha upon receiving the deceased body of their Kage. Konoha was quickly targeted and they were crumbled even faster due to the impromptu civil war they were thrusted into. The clans split and went their own ways, finding refuge in hiding. Menma and his family, including his mother and sister, went along with a few of the other clans, finding strength in a few numbers they could actually trust.

With the fall of Konoha, there was a rise in power among only Kumo as everyone saw it as the second best and most likely to hold the top spot. So, in a joint effort of Suna and Kiri, Kumo soon fell as well. With them out of the way and Iwa essentially left in ruins, the last two remaining shinobi villages tore themselves apart. Kiri was the first to fall, but Suna was not far behind.

Every individual present that day held a new level of respect for the monster that sent them down this path. Naruto Namikaze became an infamous title, and the mask he wore was the new standard of a monster. His deed was recounted and exaggerated in many different ways by almost everyone who had attended. It spread throughout the elemental nations with a vengeance, picking up steam as it went along. Within just a year, it became almost an old folktale. An implausible tale of psychological warfare on an unparalleled scale.

There were a few attempts to establish some kind of set civilizations, but as if it be by Naruto's design himself, they were all thwarted by individuals who did think like him. Individuals who believed he was right in his thinking. Chaos was a new thing to them because in this way, everyone was equal. There was a lot of violence and bloodshed, but there was also a lot of unquestioned companionship as people found themselves within the clutches of the hell around them. It was a world of freedom for all.

As for the two pioneers of such an age, they resided within a hideout in rice country. Their appearances drastically different from the way they used to be. Naruto had dyed his hair back to blonde, and Ino cut the red tips off. They looked far similar to how they did years ago. When things were worse in a way.

They lived a simple life as new parents, making their own food and watching the world tear itself apart, just as they knew it would. Crazy to think that it all started with a book or two. A young boy who read a lot gained the will to change the world he knew was killing itself. Witnessing the so called false gods was the fuel to his rage and their ignorance the match. He tossed the first stone and knew for a fact he would not be the last.

(End)

 **AN: There we go**


End file.
